PASIR PUTEH: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) yesterday detained a Vietnamese vessel with eight crew for encroaching into Malaysian waters to fish illegally.
Kelantan MMEA director Maritime Captain Syed Nor Adli Syed Ab Rahman said the eight were arrested at 45 nautical miles off Tok Bali beach here.
"An MMEA patrol vessel spotted the foreign boat while conducting operations in the area.
"Its skipper failed to produce valid documents when asked by MMEA officers.
"They were later detained for carrying out illegal fishing activities in Malaysian waters," he told a press conference here today.
Nor Adli said further inspection showed that seven of the crew members had personal identification documents while another had none.
"During the operation, we seized about 500kg of various types of fish and 400 litres of diesel.
"The two items as well as the boat and its equipment were worth nearly RM1.5 million," he added.
Nor Adli said the eight crew, all from Vietnam, aged between 23 and 46-years-old, were being held for further investigation.