PASIR PUTEH: Forty Vietnamese crew members on three fishing vessels were detained for encroaching on the country's waters here last Thursday.
State Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director Maritime Captain Erwan Shah Soahdi said they were nabbed for illegal fishing in an operation codenamed Op Khas Pagar.
"The MMEA boat that carried out the operation spotted three vessels illegally fishing between 124 and 135 nautical miles off Pantai Tok Bali.
"The MMEA officers approached the vessels and following checks, the ships' skippers failed to produce a fishing permit.
"They were found to have encroached on the country's waters and we detained 37 crew members and the three skippers," he said at a press conference here today.
Erwan said they were detained between 3.50pm and 5.45pm.
In the operation, he added, the MMEA officers seized the vessels, fishing equipment, 2,900 litres of diesel and 8.7 metric tonnes of fish, all worth about RM5.4 million.
"The 40 crew members, aged 18 to 62, are being held for further action."
He said the seizure was the biggest made by the state MMEA this year.
