On Monday, a foreign merchant ship was seized after it was found to have been anchored without prior permission. The vessel was seized by patrol unit after inspection.
What happened?
A foreign merchant ship ‘MV Sima Prestige’ registered in Singapore was seized in the waters off Kukup, Pontian when it was found to have anchored without permission.
Johor Baru Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), Deputy director (operations) Commander Iskandar Ishak said, “An MMEA patrol unit seized the vessel about 5pm, about 2.5 nautical miles south of Pulau Kukup.”
Statement released:
In a statement here, Iskandar said while the ship was not carrying any cargo, there were 19 crew members, including the captain on board.
“However, the ship was detained for failing to submit authorisation documents from the Marine Department of Malaysia to anchor there, and failing to notify their arrival to any authority of the Malaysian waters,” he added.
Crew arrested:
The patrol unit also arrested 19 crew members comprising of Iranians, Indians, Sri Lankans, Filipinos and Bangladeshis, aged between 22 and 52.
Upon questioning, the crew said they anchored there to wait for the sailing schedule from the ship’s agent.
He said three of the crew were taken to the Johor Baru Maritime Office for further investigation under Section 491B (1)(L) and Section 449 of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 and Section 3 of the Federation Light Dues Act 1953.
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Source: Malaysian Digest
