BINTULU: A barge laden with sand and a tugboat together with a crew of five Indonesians, including the skipper, sailed right into the arms of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) at 1.6 nautical miles off Tanjong Kidurong Bintulu, yesterday.
The crew members, aged between 31 and 56 years, were found to have expired work permits.
MMEA Bintulu director Captain Mohd Khairol Anuar Saad said the tugboat skipper also failed to produce the relevant documents related to the tugboat and barge.
“The tugboat was spotted at 11am. Upon inspection, we found that the tugboat was towing a barge laden with sand without any valid permit or documents,” he said.
The vessels and crew members were escorted to the Bintulu Maritime zone vessel detention centre for further investigation.
Khairol said the case will be investigated under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 and the Customs Act 1967 which provides for a fine and imprisonment upon conviction.
He said the five Indonesians will be investigated under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. The section provides for a fine of up to a maximum RM10,000 or imprisonment for a term of not more than five years or both, upon conviction.
Khairol welcomed public tipoffs on any suspicious activity. Anyone with information can contact the MERS 999 line or Bintulu Maritime Operations Centre (086-314 254) or Sarawak State Maritime Operations Centre (082-432544) which operate round the clock.
