KUCHING: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) here have detained a tugboat and a barge as well as six crew members for various offences yesterday (Apr 10).
MMEA Sarawak director First Admiral Kamal Ariffin Jusoh in a statement, said that the detention took place around 2.50pm during an ‘Ops Khas Pagar Laut’ patrol.
The vessels were spotted by the Tun Fatimah offshore patrol vessel (OPV) at about 0.44 nautical miles southwest of the Tun Abang Salahuddin Maritime Complex Jetty (KOMTAS) in Muara Tebas.
Onboard the tugboat and barge were six crewmen comprising three Indians, a local, an Indonesian and a Myanmar national.
“We found that they had failed to produce a valid ship and barge registration certificate during inspections and the case is being investigated under the Merchant Ship Ordinance 1952/60.
“In addition, we also found that they committed an operational offence by carrying passengers on the tugboat without permission from the port officer.
“All of the crew, aged between 22 and 59, had valid identification documents during checks,” he said.
Kamal stated that all the crew members, tugboat and barge were then escorted to the KOMTAS Jetty for further investigations.
Following this, the agency assured that they are committed to conducting patrols and monitoring to thwart smuggling, intrusion, and maritime crime in the country’s waters.
Members of the maritime community are encouraged to report any suspicious activity, maritime crime, or emergencies at sea directly to the MMEA Sarawak Operations Centre at 082-432544.
