In 2 Days, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Arrests Three Malaysian-flagged Fish Thief Boats

Photo via KKP

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) has arrested three foreign fishing vessels with Malaysian flags. The arrests occurred on two consecutive days.

Of the three vessels, one vessel was caught in the waters of the Republic of Indonesia Fisheries Management Area (WPPNRI) 571 of the Malacca Strait and two vessels in the waters of WPPNRI 716 of the Sulawesi Sea around the Ambalat waters.

"We confirmed the arrests of three foreign fishing vessels with Malaysian flags on Saturday, December 4 and Sunday, December 5", said Adin Nurawaluddin, Director General of Marine and Fishery Resources Supervision, Adin Nurawaluddin.

Adin said the arrests gave a clear signal that the officers in the field were always alert and ready to oversee the blue economy policy by eradicating illegal and destructive fishing practices. Furthermore, Adin also explained that he had instructed the ranks in the field to remain vigilant.

"This arrest is a testament to our seriousness in protecting the Indonesian sea at all times so that it remains sustainable", said Adin in a press release from the KKP received by the editors, Monday, December 6.

Meanwhile, the Director of Monitoring and Fleet Operations, Pung Nugroho Saksono, explained that the arrests of the three foreign fishing vessels with the Malaysian flag were successfully carried out in the operations carried out by Shark Monitoring Vessel 08 and Shark Monitoring Vessel 07.

The three foreign fishing vessels are KM.KHF 1746 (69.82 GT), SA-1882/5/F (4.30 GT), and SA-3591/5/F (1 GT). The vessel operates trawling and hand-line fishing equipment. Ipunk said that currently one ship was at the Belawan PSDKP Station and two other ships were secured at the Nunukan PSDKP Satwas for further legal proceedings.

"We have ad hoc visits to the Belawan Monitoring of Marine and Fishery Resources Station and Nunukan Monitoring of Marine and Fishery Resources Supervisory Unit for further inspections", said Ipunk.

For information, the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, is indeed encouraging the implementation of the blue economy in the marine and fisheries sector. For the success of the program, Minister Trenggono conveyed the importance of the role of supervision to maintain a balance in the management of marine and fishery resources. Minister Trenggono also instructed his staff in the field to act decisively, with zero tolerance for perpetrators of violations, both Indonesian fishing vessels, and foreign fishing vessels.

The arrest of illegal fishing vessels from Malaysia adds to the long list of vessels captured by the KKP in 2021. A total of 156 fishing vessels have been arrested, consisting of 105 Indonesian fishing vessels that have violated the law and 51 foreign fishing vessels that have stolen fish. The foreign fishing vessels caught consisted of 25 vessels from Vietnam, 20 vessels from Malaysia, and 6 vessels from the Philippines.