IPOH: The navy detained a Vietnamese fishing boat with 15 people on board, believed to have encroached Malaysian waters at about 30 nautical miles north of Tioman, yesterday.
It said the fishing boat was intercepted by KD Pendekar, which was patrolling the Malaysian Maritime Zone, after detecting six Vietnamese fishing boats in the area.
“KD Pendekar managed to stop one of the boats while the other five had left the area,” it said in a statement, adding that the 14 Vietnamese crew members and the skipper did not have valid fishing documents.
It said eight storage boxes of seafood, estimated to be worth RM1.5 million, were found on the boat.
The crew members and seized items were handed over to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).