BINTULU: A passenger boat was detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) after it was suspected of breaching the Boat Rules 1953 by failing to keep its boat licence on board during an enforcement operation off Bintulu.
Bintulu MMEA Director, Capt. Muhammad Suffian Eldine Abdullah, said the boat was intercepted at about 1.35 pm on Thursday (July 9), about 7.3 nautical miles northwest of Kuala Kemena, during Ops Permai 01/2019, Ops Tiris 4.0 and Ops Pukat.
“The inspection found the passenger boat was suspected of breaching the Boat Rules 1953 by failing to keep its boat licence on board as required under Section 481.
“The inspection also found the passenger boat was operated by three local crew members aged between 22 and 32.
“The boat and its crew were then escorted to the Bintulu Maritime Zone Vessel Detention Centre for further investigation,” he said.
Suffian said compliance with documentation requirements and navigation regulations was the responsibility of every vessel owner and operator to ensure safe navigation and facilitate inspections by the authorities.
“MMEA will not compromise on any breach of maritime laws and will continue to intensify enforcement operations to ensure all vessels operating within the Malaysian Maritime Zone comply with the stipulated regulations,” he said.
He also reminded the maritime community to ensure all navigation documents were complete, comply with maritime laws, and prioritise safety procedures before heading out to sea to reduce the risk of accidents and enforcement action.
