"Indonesian warship KRI Teluk Jakarta-541 nabbed the Philippine-flagged fishing boat of Pum Boat Liza Marie-8 type in the Halmahera waters," spokesman for the Indonesian Navy Commodore Tri Prasojo said here on Friday.
"When the TNI personnel aboard the KRI Teluk Jakarta checked their documents the crew members of the fishing boat could not produce required documents," he said.
The boat skippered by Felipe Villa Ver Lokoy had 13 crew members, all of them Filipinos, he said.
The Indonesian warship later escorted all the crew members aboard the fishing boat to the Sorong naval base for questioning, he said.
At least 185 foreign ships were caught for illegally fishing in Indonesian waters in 2007 and 242 in 2008.
Indonesia is estimated to lose Rp30 trillion per year because of fish poaching.
Prasojo further said the Indonesian Navy would continue to deploy its personnel in the sea and conduct air maritime patrols to provide a sense of security to any user of the Indonesian waters as well as to anticipate various external threats. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
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