TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Taiwan Coast Guard in Penghu seized a Chinese fishing vessel that crossed into Taiwan’s territorial waters on Sunday (April 28).

Liberty Times reported the boat, identified as Tai Zhang Fu No. 0713 (台張浮0713號), was intercepted 14 nautical miles north of Mudouyu (目斗嶼), in the middle of a trawling operation around 1:40 p.m. The boat was pretending to be Taiwanese and had illegal markings to disguise the fact it was Chinese.

The Chinese vessel reportedly refused to let personnel from the Coast Guard’s patrol boat board and attempted to hinder the inspection by hitting the boat. It took some time before the Coast Guard was able to commandeer the ship on the treacherous sea.

Onboard the vessel, four crew members were found along with a 5 kg fish catch and five cans of pork, which raised eyebrows as Taiwan is strictly enforcing measures to ward off African swine fever from China. The crew members claimed the cans were for their own consumption, said Liberty Times.

The Coast Guard impounded the ship at Magong Harbor in Penghu. It will initiate an investigation into the motive behind the vessel encroaching on Taiwanese waters.

On April 17, a Coast Guard ship fired stun grenades at rock-throwing Chinese fishermen. In March, a Chinese fishing boat with 4 kg of pork onboard was seized by the Coast Guard.