Authorities have banned fishing along the Thanzit River while oil tankers are docked at Maday Kyun deep seaport in Kyaukpyu, sources said. The maritime police force has banned the fishermen from fishing for the safety of fishermen and to make it easier for oil tankers to dock at Maday Kyun deep seaport. The number of Chinese oil tankers entering the port has increased to two or three a month and they stay for three to five days during which the maritime police keep fishermen away using patrol boats, said fisherman Aung Naing Win from Maday Kyun. It will make it difficult for the fishermen if the time the tankers are docked at the port is coincidentally the time they catch most of their fish, said Aung Naing Win, noting that the fishermen are losing money during the temporary ban. Local fishermen own more than 700 fishing boats. Some of the big fishing boats’ owners earn from Ks400,000 to 600,000 daily and smaller boats’ owners earn from Ks100,000 to 300,000 daily, according to the fishermen. More than 1,000 fishermen, in over 200 fishing boats, protested against the ban along Thanzit River and staged a protest at the China National Petroleum Corporation office in Maday Kyun in May, sources said. Crude oil from the Middle East and Africa are stored at Maday Kyun and sent to China through underground pipelines since 2016. Some 22 oil tankers had docked at the seaport this year up to October 30.