BINTULU: Two tankers were detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Bintulu Zone for allegedly carrying out illegal ship-to-ship oil transfers off the coast of Bintulu.
The vessels were intercepted early today about 10 nautical miles northwest of the Kemena River estuary during a patrol under the operations codenamed ‘Ops Tiris 3.0’ and ‘Ops Permai 01/2019’.
Bintulu Maritime Zone Director, Captain Muhammad Suffian Eldine Abdullah, said patrol assets discovered a tanker moored alongside another anchored tanker, believed to be transferring diesel without any valid authorisation.
“The first tanker was detained at 4:25 am and was found to have four crew members – two Indonesians, including the captain, and two Indian nationals, aged between 27 and 46.
“The second tanker, stopped at 5:00 am, was operated by four crew members comprising an Indonesian, a Myanmar national and two Vietnamese nationals, aged between 25 and 48,” he said in a statement.
During the inspection, he said the Myanmar crew member and both Vietnamese nationals failed to present any valid identification documents.
“All vessels and crew members were escorted to the Bintulu Maritime Zone Vessel Detention Centre for further investigation.
“Authorities also seized approximately 169,600 litres of diesel, believed to be involved in the illegal transfer,” he said.
The case is being investigated under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance (MSO) 1952, Customs Act 1967, Petroleum (Safety Measures) Act 1984, Control of Supplies Act 1961, and Immigration Act 1959/63.
MMEA reminded the public and maritime community that unauthorised cargo transfers at sea were a serious offence, posing risks to safety, environmental protection and national maritime sovereignty.
