LABUAN, The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained a cargo ship 0.6 nautical miles southwest of Pulau Papan here today.

MMEA Labuan director Captain Izwanhadi Idros said the agency’s patrol boat, while conducting patrol operations under Op Sejahtera 1/2022 and Op Tiris 3.0, inspected the cargo ship.

‘Upon inspection, the cargo ship was found to be operated by a 24-year-old Chief Officer and a 59-year-old Chief Engineer, both of whom are Malaysians.

He said the vessel was suspected of violating the Merchant Shipping Ordinance (MSO) 1952, as it was operating without a captain, and its safety rafts and fire extinguishers were expired.

‘The Chief Officer, Chief Engineer, and the ship’s documents have been detained and escorted to the MMEA’s jetty for further investigation.

Izwanhadi urged the public to report any maritime criminal activities by contacting the Labuan Maritime Zone Operations Centre at 087-427999 or the emergency line NG999, which operates 24 hours daily.

Source: BERNAMA News
Agency