BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- A Vietnamese fishing vessel with six crew members were apprehended for illegal fishing in Brunei waters by the Royal Brunei Navy during a routine surveillance.
According to a Ministry of Defense statement on Thursday, the Royal Brunei Navy ship Kdb Darussalam apprehended a foreign fishing trawler conducting illegal fishing activities in Brunei's waters. The fishing trawler was first sighted on Tuesday morning.
A total of six crew members were found onboard the fishing trawler. The fishing trawler and the crew members were handed over to the Marine Police of Royal Brunei Police Force for further investigation in the presence of representatives from the Fisheries Department.
According to the defense ministry, the apprehension of this foreign fishing ship by relevant security agencies serves as a warning and deterrence against illegal fishing activities in Brunei waters.
If convicted, the ship's captain can be fined not more than 100,000 Brunei dollars (73,174 U.S. dollars) or five years' imprisonment or both. Crew members will also face a 2,500-Brunei dollar fine or a year in jail or both.
