THE Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency detained a Vietnamese fishing boat and seized three tonnes of marine catch worth RM1.5 million in Kudat waters last Saturday, over suspicion of illegal fishing.

Kudat MMEA director Maritime Commander Maurice Grenville Abeyeratne said the crewmen were found fishing at about 118 nautical miles northwest of Tanjung Simpang Mengayau, Kudat, at noon.

He said the presence of the foreign boat was detected by KM ARAU and upon inspection, found 41 Vietnamese crew members, including the skipper, aged between 18 and 58, on board.

The foreign boat had earlier acted aggressively and crashed into KM ARAU, causing damage to both vessels, he said in a statement in Kota Kinabalu today.

The foreign boat and its crew were then taken to the Kudat Maritime Zone Jetty for further action. – Bernama, June 14, 2022.