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Indonesian patrol boat captures Malaysian-flagged fishing vessel in Strait of Malacca
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A foreign boat is sunk by Indonesian authorities in Natuna waters, Riau Islands province, on Aug. 17, 2016. The boat was caught fishing illegally. (POOL/Dokumentasi KKP)
T
he Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry's Hiu Macan Tutul 02 patrol boat captured Malaysian-flagged fishing vessel KF 5152 caught illegally fishing in the Indonesian part of the Strait of Malacca on Sunday.
The fishing vessel with a capacity of 64 gross tonnage (GT) equipped with trawl nets was caught fishing in Indonesian waters without a fishing permit or any other formal documents.
The Indonesian authorities caught the four crew members illegally fishing at the time of their capture.
Batam oceanic and fisheries resources surveillance station (PSDKP) head Salman Mokoginta said the Hiu Macan Tutul 02 had handed over the Malaysian-flagged boat to his office on Tuesday for further investigation.
“The investigation will be conducted in Batam. We are detaining the ship and crew here for now,” Salman told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Read also: Indonesia supports global push to combat illegal fishing
He said that of the four crew members, two were Indonesians while the other two were Burmese nationals, despite the Malaysian flag that marked the fishing vessel.
“The patrol boat detected one fishing vessel that was allegedly fishing. They were apprehended without resistance,” Salman said.
He said the patrol boats under the PSDKP remained actively patrolling amid the COVID-19 pandemic in order to anticipate rampant illegal fishing by foreign vessels in Indonesian waters.
“We warn foreign vessels not to think about entering Indonesian waters without valid documents. Whatever happens, the ministry [patrols] will always be at sea and we are not hesitant [to carry out enforcement],” Salman added. (ami)
