IPOH: The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) detained a Vietnamese fishing boat with 15 people on board, believed to have encroached the national waters at about 30 nautical miles north of Tioman Island, yesterday afternoon.

RMN, in a statement, said that the fishing boat was intercepted by its vessel, Kapal Diraja (KD) Pendekar, while patrolling the Malaysian Maritime Zone after detecting the presence of six Vietnamese fishing boats in the area.

"KD Pendekar managed to stop one of the fishing boats while five other boats had left the area.

"The results of the inspection found that 14 Vietnamese crew members and a skipper who did not have valid fishing documents," according to the statement.

It also said that further inspection also found as many as eight storage boxes full of seafood, estimated to be worth RM1.5 million.

All crew members and seized items including the boat were handed over to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) for further action.

-- BERNAMA