MERSING: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained eight Vietnamese men after they were found hiding 1,700l of diesel in a modified fish hold on their boat yesterday.
The locally-registered fishing boat was spotted one nautical mile northeast of Pulau Layak, here, at 12.30pm.
Mersing Maritime Zone director Commander Suhaizan Saadin said the crew of an MMEA patrol boat stopped the boat to conduct a routine inspection and found the diesel hidden in the modified hold.
"Checks on the foreigners, aged between 32 and 46, revealed that they did not have valid identification documents and were unauthorised to work on the fishing vessel," he said.
He added that the case was being investigated under Section 8(b) of the Fisheries Act 1985 for breaching licensing conditions and the Immigration Act 1959/63.
Suhaizan said the boat and its crew members were taken to the Teluk Gading Maritime Jetty for further investigation.
He urged local fishing boat owners to comply with all regulations and avoid violating licensing terms.
He also encouraged the public to report any maritime crimes or emergencies to the Johor Maritime Operations Centre at 07-2199404 or via the emergency hotline 999.