JOHOR BARU: Region 2 marine police here seized four fishing boats and detained their 14 crew members for violating the conditions of their licenses under the Fisheries Act 1985 in the waters off Pengerang and Batu Pahat yesterday.
Region 2 Marine Police deputy commander Superintendent Shaari Arifin said the four boats and their crew members, aged 25 to 52, were seized in separate Op Gelora Khas raids.
All apprehended men and their vessels were handed over to the Johor Fisheries Department for further investigations.
The first vessel, a class A boat, which was run by a crew of four including a foreigner, was detained at 3.30pm about 0.4 nautical miles off the coast of Sungai Rengit, Pengerang.
It was seized for being run by people other than the owner and for having an expired fire extinguisher, both offences under the Fisheries Act.
"The second boat, also a class A boat, which was run a local three-man crew, was detained half an hour later at about 1.21 nautical miles off the coast of Ramunia for the same offences," said Shaari.
Later, in Batu Pahat, a class B boat, which was run by a crew of four including a permanent resident, was detained about 7.7 nautical miles off the coast of Tanjong Laboh.
Lastly, another class B boat, which was run by a local three-man crew, was detained about 9.8 nautical miles off the same coast.