BINTULU: A tugboat was detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) about one nautical mile from the Sungai Kemena rivermouth.
Bintulu MMEA director Capt (Maritime) Mohd Khairol Anuar Saad said the suspicious tugboat was detected during Ops Permai and Ops Benteng patrol at around 6.50pm, Tuesday (Feb 8).
“Based on the inspection carried out, we found that the tugboat was operating using an expired licence.
The tugboat’s skipper, an Indian national aged 29, and with valid identification documents, was detained.”
Capt Mohd Khairol said the case would be investigated under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 and if convicted, faced a fine not exceeding RM10,000 or imprisonment not exceeding one year or both.
The public can contact MMEA round-the-clock to report any illegal activities and emergencies at sea on the MERS 999 line or Bintulu Operations Centre at 086-314254; Sarawak Operations Centre at 082-432 544.
