A Royal Australian Navy warship has successfully apprehended a vessel suspected of fishing illegally in isolated Australian territorial waters, Defence Minister Robert Hill and Fisheries Minister Ian Macdonald announced today.

The fishing vessel Maya V was apprehended late yesterday after it was believed to have been fishing illegally within Australia's exclusive economic zone around the remote Heard and McDonald Islands over 4000 kilometres south-west of Perth.

"Our frigate HMAS Warramunga and her sailors on patrol in Australia's southern oceans battled extremely bad weather and high seas to intercept and board the Maya V," Senator Hill said.

"It is a credit to their skill and professionalism that they were able to overcome dangerous conditions to successfully board the vessel. These types of operations are always dangerous, but our sailors have exceptional training and extensive experience in environments ranging from Antarctic waters to the Persian Gulf."

The Navy boarding party first made contact with the Maya V on Thursday, 22 January and an attempted boarding was abandoned after the prevailing weather worsened.

The Maya V was issued with a legal direction to proceed to Fremantle and when weather conditions permitted late yesterday, the Navy took control of the Maya V after sailors fast-roped to the fishing vessel's deck from Warramunga's Seahawk helicopter.

The Maya V has a Navy steaming party embarked and is now under escort by HMAS Warramunga to Fremantle where it is expected to dock in early February. The Australian Fisheries Management Authority also has officers onboard and will investigate the vessel and its suspected illegal catch further once it reaches Australia.

"This joint Defence Force-AFMA apprehension marks another blow to illegal fishers and proves once again that Australia has the capability to act decisively in all sorts of locations and conditions to protect our fisheries resources and territorial waters," Senator Macdonald said.

"This apprehension further builds on the announcement that the Prime Minister and myself made late last year of an $80 to $100 million commitment to fund armed patrols to protect this nation’s sovereignty and the sustainability of our fisheries resources."

In October last year, suspected illegal fishing vessel Viarsa I was returned to Australia from the South Atlantic Ocean by a Navy steaming party after a 21-day hot pursuit and apprehension by Australian Customs and Fisheries Patrol Vessel Southern Supporter.