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Chinese vessel caught stealing fish in Kupang
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Under investigation: Chinese fishing vessel Yu Fuan Yu 381 is docked at Tenau Port in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara on Monday. The ship was caught stealing fish in Indonesian waters with 15 foreign fishermen. (JP/Djemi Amnifu)
P
ersonnel of a sea surveillance team from the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry’s Kupang office in East Nusa Tenggara have arrested 15 fishermen from China, Myanmar and Vietnam who were caught illegally fishing in Indonesian waters.
The men were taken into custody along with their vessel, Yu Fuan Yu 381, which sailed from China by using the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste flag and documents. They were arrested while sailing into Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone (ZEE), which borders with Timor Leste.
“The vessel […] has been held at Tenau fishing port in Alak district, Kupang, since Friday evening,” the office’s fisheries and maritime resources monitoring head Mubarak said on Monday.
Authorities had towed the vessel to Tenau Port for further investigation.
“The 15 fishermen are part of a 21-member crew, six of whom are from Indonesia. Nine of the foreign fishermen are from China, three are Vietnamese, while the other three are from Myanmar,” Mubarak said.
He added that the vessel had sailed without the proper documents.
“Their documents state that they are from Timor Leste,” he said.
Indonesian Fisherman Association secretary Wham Nurdin said the arrest was made on Thursday evening.
The Yu Fuan Fu 381 is known to have been operating around Dili, Timor Leste.
“It is one of three foreign vessels often stealing [fish] in Indonesian waters,” he said. (kmt/ebf)
