CJMYThe Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said 60 Chinese nationals along with six Chinese-registered fishing vessels have been detained on Friday (Oct 9) for trespassing into the Malaysian waters.
The authorities said the vessels, sailing in two groups of three, were spotted on Friday morning just south of Tanjung Setapa in the southern coast of Johor state.
“Further checks found that all the vessels registered in Qinhuangdoa, China, were manned by six captains and 54 crew who are Chinese nationals aged between 31 and 60 years who failed to furnish any permit from the Malaysia Maritime Department,” MMEA regional director Mohd Zulfadli Nayan said in a statement.
The vessels, which had no cargo when detained, were believed to have been en route to Mauritania but had to stop due to some malfunction.
The case is being investigated under the Fisheries Act for failing to notify the state that it is entering into its territorial waters and under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance for anchoring without a permit.
The penalties can carry a maximum fine of 6 million ringgit ($1.45 million) for each skipper and 600,000 ringgit for each crew member and two years jail time.
The operation against the vessels came as Malaysia tightens its border patrol to curb the spread of the coronavirus as imported cases have led to a spike in local transmissions.
Zulfadli added that all fishermen detained have been tested for the virus.
Earlier this year, a Chinese research ship spent a month surveying in Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone, amid a standoff with a Malaysian oil exploration vessel near disputed waters.
Malaysia has reported 89 intrusions by Chinese coastguard and navy ships between 2016 and 2019, amid escalating tensions over China’s claim to almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea as its sovereign territory.
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