Security gaps muddy waters for Malaysia’s blue economy ambitions

Foreign trawlers slip into waters off the Malaysian state of Terengganu under cover of darkness, local fishermen say, working near Pulau Redang and Pulau Bidong before leaving by dawn to avoid detection.

The incursions have become a recurring problem for fishermen along the eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia, where the South China Sea separates Malaysia from Vietnam by just hundreds of kilometres.

Alias Yahya, who sits on the board of the Terengganu fishermen’s group Penentu, said members had reported what they believed were Vietnamese vessels in Malaysian waters at night.

“These Vietnamese trawlers usually enter Malaysian waters at night, when enforcement by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and other authorities is lighter, and leave after about five to six hours at dawn,” he said.

Beyond being a local grievance, these incursions also expose a larger weakness in Malaysia’s ocean ambitions.

As the country pursues the blue economy – the sustainable use of marine, coastal and inland water resources for growth, jobs, food security and environmental protection – the complaints point to a central test: whether Malaysia can govern what happens at sea.

“Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is not merely a question of lost marine resources, but also threatens the survival of local fishing communities and the sustainability of the country’s marine ecosystem,” Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Director General Maritime Admiral Rosli Abdullah said.