KUCHING: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has detained a tugboat and its six crew members after they failed to produce a domestic shipping licence (DSL) during inspections.
According to MMEA Sarawak director First Admiral Kamal Ariffin Jusoh, the detention took place around 8.50pm last night (Apr 9) during an ‘Ops Khas Pagar Laut’.
The suspicious vessel was spotted by the Tun Fatimah offshore patrol vessel (OPV) at about 0.6 nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Muara Tebas.
Onboard the tugboat were six crewmen, including four locals, an Indian, and an Indonesian.
“We found that they had failed to produce a DSL during inspections.
“All of the crew, aged between 25 and 68, had valid identification documents during checks,” he said.
Both the vessel and the crew were escorted to the Tun Abang Salahuddin Maritime Complex Jetty (KOMTAS) in Muara Tebas for further investigation under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952.
In response to the incident, 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.
