The Johor state division of Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) on Sunday (28 March) said its special operations ‘Ops Jangka Haram’ to crack down on foreign vessels anchoring illegally in eastern Johor waters has proved to be very effective four days into its commencement.
MMEA reported it detected 15 remaining vessels anchoring illegally in the Tompok Utara anchorage area compared to the 105 vessels discovered previously.
Johor Maritime Director Nurul Hizam Zakaria said so far, the patrol team has detained 13 vessels for anchoring without a permit but the team has decided to increase its efforts to evict vessels that stubbornly remain.
MMEA reported among the vessels it has detained are MT Nautica Kota Tinggi, MT Arista Leo, MT Jw Jewel, and MT Liberty, all of which are oil tankers.
As for the remaining vessels who “stubbornly” remain, MMEA said it intensified the level of vigilance by deploying the Special Task and Rescue Force (PTK) team to board said vessels via helicopter to perform surprise inspections.
MMEA added from now on it will reinforce its working relationship with the Malaysian Marine Department which is in charge of issuing various permits for these vessels to operate in Malaysian waters to optimise the safety of its borders and environment.
MMEA announced last Monday (22 March) it has discovered that waters east of Johor has become a “hotspot” for foreign vessels to anchor illegally and conduct unlawful activities such as illegally releasing oil into the ocean.
Additionally, the Marine Department of Malaysia said it had detected a 6 km long oil spill in the area on Sunday (21 March) and suspects said vessels to be unlawfully releasing oil into the ocean and endangering the environment.
A video by MMEA documenting its special operations can be viewed here:
A series of earlier MMEA detentions have been reported by Manifold Times (below):
Related: Malaysia: MMEA launches special ops to evict 100 illegal vessels in eastern Johor
Related: MMEA reports Johor eastern waters to be ‘hotspot’ for vessels to anchor illegally
Related: MMEA detains Liberian registered tanker for allegedly anchoring illegally in Perak
Related: MMEA detains Panama registered tanker for allegedly anchoring illegally in Selangor
Related: MMEA detains Thailand registered tanker for allegedly anchoring illegally in Selangor
Related: MMEA detains Singapore flagged tanker suspected of illegal oil transfers in Selangor
Related: MMEA detains Panama flagged tanker for anchoring illegally in eastern Johor
Related: Malaysia: MMEA detains loaded oil tanker for allegedly anchoring illegally in Perak
Related: MMEA detains tanker ‘MT Tahiti’ in Malacca waters for anchoring without a permit
Related: MMEA detains St Kitts & Nevis registered tanker for anchoring illegally in eastern Johor
Related: MMEA detains Malaysia & Mongolia registered tankers for anchoring illegally in Johor
Related: Malaysia: MMEA detains tanker for anchoring without a permit in southeastern Johor
Photo credit: MMEA
Published: 29 March, 2021
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