MERSING – The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has detained a Singapore-registered tugboat and its accompanying barge approximately 3.5 nautical miles west of Johor’s Pulau Harimau.
Mersing MMEA director, Maritime Commander Suhaizan Saadin, reported that the vessels were detained at 11 am on June 11 by an MMEA patrol team during operations codenamed “Ops Jaksa” and “Ops Tiris”.
“Inspection revealed that both vessels from Singapore were suspected of committing offences for failing to report their arrival and anchoring without permission from the Malaysian Marine Department director,” Mr. Suhaizan stated in a press release.
Checks showed that all seven crew members, including the captain, were Indonesian nationals aged between 25 and 54. The captain and chief engineer have been taken to the Mersing Maritime jetty for further investigation under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952.
“The MMEA remains uncompromising in its stance against any activities that violate the law and is committed to continuing operations and patrols along the Malaysian Maritime Zone to curb illegal activities in the nation’s waters,” added Mr. Suhaizan.