China's Embassy to South Africa says 3 Chinese fishing vessels detained by the authorities were forced to enter South African waters due to bad weather.

The ships with around 100 crew on board were on their way back from legal fishing in the High Seas of the Southwest Atlantic Ocean.

They were reportedly detained after entering South Africa's 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone without permits on suspicion of illegal squid fishing.

Media outlets reported that the captains might face fines and possible jail sentences if found guilty.

Though local inspectors found the vessels had no permits to fish locally, the Chinese Embassy said they had been granted Licenses for Fishing on the High Seas and other valid documents by China's agricultural authorities.

The Chinese Embassy in Pretoria and the Consulate General in Cape Town have been actively communicating with South African authorities and have offered assistance to the ships and their crew.