REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Foreign fishing boat with Vietnam flag, KM BV 9980 TS, with a gross weight of 85 tons was arrested by the Fishery Supervisory Ships, Leopard Shark 002.

The Vietnam's boat was arrested while doing illegal fishing activities with 45 tons of cargo, in the Indonesian Exclusive Economic Zone (ZEEI), around Natuna, Riau Islands, on Saturday (12/9).

Director General of Marine Resources and Fisheries Supervisory (PSDKP), Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Asep Burhanudin, explained besides caught while fishing in Regional Fisheries Management of Republic of Indonesia (WPP-NRI), this boat was also without legal documents from Indonesian Government.

"This boat was also found using prohibited fishing gear and damaging the marine resources and fisheries, pair trawling," said Asep.

Furthermore, Asep added, the KM BV 9980 TS boat was allegedly violating Article 93 paragraph (2) in conjunction with Article 27 paragraph (2) of Law No. 45 of 2009 on amendments to the Law No. 31 of 2004 on Fisheries, with the threat of imprisonment of 6 (six) years and a maximum fine of Rp 20 billion.

In the arrest, the officials seized evidences in the form of one unit of boat of BV 9980 TS, one unit of SSB radio as communication tool, one unit of GPS navigation device, one unit of wet compass, and 45 thousand kg of fishes.

"Then, further legal proceedings will be conducted by investigators of Fisheries Civil Servants, the evidence and the six Vietnam crew will be escorted to the PSDKP Unit of Natuna," Asep added.

Asep explained that during 2015, the Directorate General of PSDKP has conducted legal proceedings of 103 actors of illegal fishing, which consisted of 55 foreign boats and 48 Indonesian boats. Of a number of 55 foreign boats, as many as 36 boats were from Vietnam, eight boats were from Philippines, six boats were from Malaysia, and five boats were from Thailand.

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