KUCHING: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sarawak detained a cargo ship laden with gravel after its crew failed to display a domestic shipping licence (DSL) during inspections yesterday (May 22).
Its director First Admiral Zin Azman Md Yunus said the vessel was detained around 4.40 pm, about 2.1 nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Po.
The agency’s patrol boat spotted the cargo ship in a suspicious condition about 1.1 nautical miles from the patrol boat.
“The tugboat was operated by seven crewmen, including the master, two locals, four Indians and a Myanmar national.
“The crew aged between 19 and 53 years had valid identification documents. But they failed to produce a valid domestic shipping licence during the inspection and it is an offence under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952,” he said.
The crew and cargo ship were escorted to the MMEA Sarawak complex jetty in Muara Tebas for further investigation.
Zin Azman appealed to the maritime community to channel information and complaints on suspicious activities at sea to the MMEA Sarawak Operations Centre at 082-432544.
