"It was intercepted by the surveillance ship Hiu 004 while conducting illegal fishing in the waters of Malacca Strait in North Sumatra on December 13, 2015, with around 300 kilograms of fish aboard as evidence," Asep Burhanudin, the director general of fisheries and marine resource surveillance (PSDKP), stated here on Wednesday.
He said the ship was intercepted while conducting illegal fishing without proper licensing documents from the Indonesian government.
The KM SLFA 2675 vessel, weighing 56 gross tons, was also caught using illegal fishing equipment, such as a trawl, which can harm the fish and marine resources.
The ship and its crew have been detained on charges of allegedly violating articles in the fishery law, which carries a sentence of up to six years of imprisonment and a maximum fine of Rp20 billion.
The KM SLFA 2675 vessel has been detained along with a trawl, GPS navigation equipment, compass, communication radio, and around 300 kilograms of varied species of fish.
The evidence and five crew members from Myanmar have been taken to the PSDKP office in Belawan, North Sumatra.
The Indonesian government has sunk ships found fishing illegally in its waters to protect its fish supply.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2015
