KUCHING: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained a cargo ship carrying gravel after its crew failed to produce a domestic shipping licence (DSL) during routine inspections on yesterday (July 19).
According to Sarawak MMEA director First Admiral Zin Azman Md Yunus, the detention occurred at approximately 5.30pm, about 3.1 nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Po. The agency’s boat conducting a regular sea patrol flagged down the vessel for inspection.
“The cargo ship was operated by eight crew members – two locals, two Indians, three Myanmar nationals and an Indonesian. They had valid identification documents.
“However, the ship lacked the necessary DSL, which is an offence under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952, leading to its detention.”
In addition to the DSL violation, the case is also under investigation under the Sarawak Rivers Ordinance 1993 for potential damage and providing false testimony in the sand and gravel record book.
The detained crew, whose ages range from 22 to 57, along with the cargo ship, were escorted to the MMEA Tun Abang Salahuddin complex jetty in Muara Tebas for further investigation.
Sarawak MMEA encourages the maritime community to report any information or complaints related to suspicious activities, maritime crimes or emergencies at sea to their Operations Centre at 082-432544/010-7728909.
