By: Aida Aziz
LUMUT: The Perak State Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM) assisted an Indonesian foreign fishing boat (BNA) at a position 7.7 nautical miles northwest of Pangkor Island, yesterday afternoon.
Its director, Maritime Captain Mohd Hambali Ya’akup said, the Benteng 6 boat has been arranged to move to the location to confirm a complaint received, regarding a foreign fishing boat reportedly entering Malaysian waters.
“As a result of the inspection and patrol at the location, the Benteng 6 boat found a foreign fishing boat without a registration number which is believed to have damage to the engine.
“The fishing boat was carrying four Indonesian crew, aged between 19 and 49 years old, including a tired skipper.
“The fishing boat was escorted to Kampung Acheh Fishing Jetty, Sitiawan before being taken to the Perak State Maritime Headquarters to be handed over to Indonesian embassy representatives tomorrow (March 24),” he told reporters on Thursday.
He also said that Maritime Malaysia reminded the fishing community to always prioritize the use of life jackets, check the weather forecast and have a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) before conducting activities in the country’s waters.
For any information on criminal activities as well as emergency incidents or accidents at sea, the public can channel to the Perak State Maritime Operations Center at 05-6838737 or MERS 999 for immediate response.
