A navy vessel has intercepted and seized a Vietnamese fishing trawler and arrested five crew members off the southern province of Songkhla for dredging the ocean bed for sea cucumbers in Thai waters.
The Second Fleet on Saturday said the trawler was spotted trawling for sea cucumber about 64.9 nautical miles of Songkhla’s safe water buoy in the Gulf of Thailand on Friday morning. The vessel was seized and the five crewmen arrested. The vessel and the crew were taken to Songkhla Naval Base for legal proceedings.
The crew members were charged with illegal fishing in Thai waters, colluding in operating a commercial trawler without permission and related offences.
The Vietnamese trawler is pulled to shore. The vessel and five crew members on board were taken to Songkhla Naval Base for legal proceedings on Friday. (Photo supplied: Assawin Pakkawan)