The owner of a Liberian-flagged cargo vessel is in hot water after enforcement officers detained him for illegally anchoring the ship in Malaysian waters.
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Johor Baru deputy director (operation) Iskandar Ishak said the owner could be charged under Section 491B(1)(L) of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance (MSO) 1952 for anchoring without permission.
The owner could also be charged under Section 449 of the Ordinance and Section 3 of the Light Dues Act 1953 for failure to inform the arrival and pay the light dues respectively.
A cargo patrol unit spotted MV MSC Pylos at 2.2 nautical miles southwest off Tanjung Piai at about 12.30 p.m. on Saturday.
When the officers conducted a check, the crew failed to produce the relevant documents that allowed a vessel to anchor in Malaysian waters.
They also failed to inform their arrival to the Marine Department, he said in a statement yesterday.
Iskandar said checks also showed that the ship, which was waiting for its schedule from its agent, was not carrying any load.
“We found 24 Filipino crew members and a Greek national, aged between 25 and 59 years old, onboard,” he said, adding that three of them were taken to the MMEA office for further investigations.
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Source: The Star
