Asylum-seeker boat intercepted in Western Australia

ACV Holdfast Bay, operating under the control of Border Protection Command, intercepted the suspected irregular entry vessel after it sought assistance near the Ashmore Islands last night, Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare was quoted by media reports as saying.

He said Holdfast Bay and the navy patrol boat HMAS Maitland provided assistance to the vessel at the request of the Maritime Safety Authority.

"Passengers will be transferred to Christmas Island where they will undergo initial security, health and identity checks, and their reasons for travel will be established," the minister said in a statement.

"It's the 11th boatload of asylum seekers to be intercepted this month," the opposition's immigration spokesman Scott Morrison. PTI NC