KLANG: Two fishing vessels were seized while their nine Indonesian crewmen were detained for illegally fishing in Malaysian waters.

       Selangor Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director maritime captain V. Siva Kumar said the incident occurred some 22 nautical miles off Sungai Besar at about 1.15pm on Tuesday (June 14).

       "We stumbled upon both vessels during patrols.

       "The first vessel had five Indonesian crewmen while the second one had four Indonesian crewmen," he said in a statement on Wednesday (June 15).

       The crewmen, aged between 22 and 62-years-old, failed to produce any valid identification or travel documents, he said.

       "We also seized 700kg of fish caught by the vessels.

       "We are investigating the matter further," he said.

       The case is classified under the Fisheries Act 1985 and the Immigration Act, he said.

       "We are serious in conducting enforcement operations in Malaysian waters and stern action will be taken against those who broke the laws," he said.

       He urged those with information on maritime crimes to contact Selangor Maritime Operation Centre at 03-31760627 or MERS 999.