JAKARTA, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia has seized two Philippine fishing vessels with 21 crew members in the Indonesian waters, according to the Ministry of Marine and Fisheries Affairs (KKP) on Tuesday.
Minister of Marine and Fisheries Affairs Edhy Prabowo said the two vessels were arrested on Oct. 1 by the KKP Orca 04 Supervisory Ship.
"This is the first time we seized illegal fishing vessels in the Pacific Ocean," Prabowo told a virtual press conference.
He added that the modus operandi and movement of illegal fishing vessels are very dynamic, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the vessels is a 105.90-gross tonnage (GT) vessel with 18 Filipino crew members who caught fish using purse seine. Meanwhile, the other vessel is a 20.62-GT lightboat with three Filipino crew members.
The two vessels were taken to the Bitung Marine and Fishery Resources Monitoring Base for further inspection.
It's reported that Indonesia held 74 illegal fishing vessels consisting of 57 foreign and 17 Indonesian vessels since 2014. Enditem
