Malaysian authorities have detained 22 Vietnamese fishermen for allegedly poaching in the South China Sea off the northeastern state of Terengganu, a fisheries official said Tuesday.

A local fisheries department head, Razak Abdul Rahman, said the Royal Malaysian Navy came upon the fishermen in two boats in Malaysian waters during regular patrols on Monday.

Razak was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency that the two were being detained in the fisheries department's headquarters in Terengganu and would be charged with illegal fishing.