The Johor state division of Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) on Thursday (17 December) said it detained two tankers for anchoring illegally in eastern Johor waters on Wednesday morning.
Johor Maritime Director Nurul Hizam Zakaria said the vessels were discovered by the patrol team at around 10.40 am. The first vessel was found 12.7 nautical miles east of Tanjung Lompat whereas the second vessel was discovered 10.6 nautical miles southwest of Tanjung Penawar
Initial investigations revealed the first tanker to be Malaysia-registered with a Captain and 13 crew members onboard the vessel, all of whom are aged between 24 to 53 years old. Crew onboard were from Indonesia, Myanmar, China and Singapore.
The second tanker is a Mongolia-registered vessel with a Captain and ten crew onboard. The crew were all Indonesian nationals aged between 26 to 60 years old.
“All parties involved will be investigated under Section 491B(1)(L) of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 for anchoring without a permit,” added Maritime Director Zakaria.
“If convicted, the owner of the vessel and the Captain could face a maximum fine of MYR 100,000 (USD 24,682) or a jail term of up to two years or both.”
Maritime Director Zakaria reminded all shipowners any activity in Malaysian waters requires the appropriate permits to be issued by the authorities in order to avoid legal action being taken and that the MMEA is being vigilant to safeguard security especially in eastern Johor waters.
Related: Malaysia: MMEA detains tanker for anchoring without a permit in southeastern Johor
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Related: Malaysia: MMEA detains Singapore-flagged bunker tanker for anchoring without permit
Related: MMEA Johor detains Mongolian-flagged tanker for anchoring without permit
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Related: MMEA Johor detains second Mongolian-flagged tanker this week for illegally anchoring
Related: Malaysia: MMEA Johor detains Mongolia-flagged tanker for anchoring without permit
Photo credit: MMEA
Published: 18 December, 2020
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