KUANTAN: Op Naga, a multi-agency task force operation led by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), has successfully seized 184 Vietnamese vessels and detained 1,600 crew since May.
MMEA deputy director-general (0perations) Vice-Admiral Datuk Ibrahim Mohamed said all the seized vessels were found to have encroached into Malaysian waters to conduct fishing activities illegally.
“Currently, our legal department is conducting further investigations before we decide on the next course of action, including producing them in court.
“Maritime operations were conducted through a collaboration with the Royal Malaysian Navy and Marine Police in the waters off Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak,” he said after witnessing the handing over of duties ceremony between outgoing Pahang MMEA director Rear Admiral Maritime Datuk Zulkarnain Mohd Omar and his successor, Rear Admiral Maritime Amran Daud, at the MMEA headquarters in Indera Mahkota, here, today.
Ibrahim said it would be business as usual for MMEA during the monsoon season as they continued to conduct patrol operations to curb illegal fishing and encroachment into Malaysian waters.
“We are aware that the seas will be rough, but we cannot afford to slow down as they (foreign fishermen) might take advantage to enter our waters.
“Our air patrol unit will also conduct surveillance. Local fishermen with information on suspicious activities at sea should immediately alert us,” he said.
Ops Naga comprises enforcement efforts to scour the nation’s waters for illegal foreign vessels and also patrol the airspace, involving MMEA, Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal Malaysian Air Force, police and Fisheries Department.