In eastern Johor waters, two foreign-registered vessels have been detained for illegal anchoring. First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria, director of the Johor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), stated that the vessels were discovered and detained during routine surveillance.
On Monday (Jan 8), the first vessel from Basseterre in Saint Kitts and Nevis was detected at 1pm, eight nautical miles (14km) east of Tanjung Siang. The second vessel, from Majuro in the Marshall Islands, was detained at 1.10pm the same day, 11.8 nautical miles (21km) east of Tanjung Lompat,” he said in a statement on Tuesday (Jan 9).
According to First Adm Nurul Hizam, the captains of both ships also failed to provide any documents allowing them to anchor in Malaysian waters. “The cases are being investigated under Section 49B(1)(L) of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952, which carries a fine of not more than RM100,000, a jail term of not more than two years, or both, upon conviction,” he said. “The vessel from Basseterre is also being investigated under Section 361(1) of the ordinance for not complying with the requirement of mandatory insurance,” he added.
Last year, MMEA recorded 88 cases of illegal anchoring, with the compounds amounting to RM2.2mil. First Admiral Nurul Hizam emphasized, “We would like to remind all vessel owners to comply with the law, as we will not hesitate to take stern action against any vessel caught anchoring illegally.”
