Taiwan confirms controversial Taiwanese fishing boat docked in China port

Taipei, March 28 (CNA) Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) confirmed Saturday that a Taiwanese fishing vessel was docked at Zhangzhou Port in China's Xiamen City, but the CGA did not comment on reports that the boat had been involved in illegal activities.

The Penghu-registered Da Jin Man No. 8 departed Magong Harbor in southern Taiwan at noon on March 23 with seven crew members aboard -- three Taiwanese and four Indonesians -- the CGA said in a news release.

The vessel turned off its automatic identification system (AIS) shortly after departing and did not switch it back on until around 2 a.m. on March 25, the CGA said.

At that time, the boat was about 50 nautical miles northwest of Penghu -- in international waters 13 nautical miles west of the Taiwan Strait median line -- and was sailing towards Xiamen City in China, according to the CGA.

The CGA issued the news release after the Liberty Times reported Friday that the Taiwanese boat had suddenly appeared off the coast of Xiamen and had been escorted into Zhangzhou Port by a China Coast Guard ship.

Citing sources in China, the news report said the Da Jin Man No. 8 may have been involved in the illegal sale of fuel to Chinese fishing vessels and was intercepted at sea by the Chinese Coast Guard.

In its news release on Saturday, the CGA did not respond to those allegations, except to say that the boat owner and relatives of the crew members had no information about the situation.

The CGA said it will continue to track the movements of the Taiwanese vessel through the relevant channels and will provide any necessary assistance.

It issued a reminder for Taiwanese boats to keep their AIS switched on at all times for safety purposes and to call the "118" hotline immediately if they encounter emergencies at sea, so that Taiwan's Coast Guard could respond promptly.

Also on Saturday, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said information from the CGA indicated that the vessel was impounded by Chinese authorities but its crew were safe.