Action on 30 tourist boats

Kota Kinabalu: Action was taken on 30 tourist boats during Ops Mengalum and Ops Mantanani conducted by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) since Feb. 18. The special operations were held in waters off Kota Kinabalu and the coastal area of Pantai Teluk Usukan in Kota Belud.

Kota Kinabalu MMEA Director First Admiral Adam Aziz said the operations targeted inspections on tourist boats to ensure their safety is prioritised by boat operators.

A total of 282 inspections were conducted during the operation held from along the coastal area of Jesselton Point to Tanjung Aru. Of the figure, action was taken on 24 tourist boats caught for various offences including under the Sabah Ports and Harbour Enactment.

The operation off Pantai Teluk Usukan saw inspections done on 55 tourist boats and action was taken on six tourist boats.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Sabah revenue hits RM6.97 billion: Hajiji says GRS State Government may see full term

Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Government continued its momentum in managing the economy in line with the commitment and spirit of the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) when it posted record high state revenue of RM6.973 billion last year.

"Many boat operators were detained for passenger overload, while some were caught letting their passengers wear worn out lifejackets," he said in a statement here on Wednesday.

He urged boat operators to be sensitive to the safety of their tourists by ensuring the boats and lifejackets are in proper condition. The operations involved five MMEA assets manned by 106 MMEA officers.

Adam said a total of 337 passengers boats have thus far been inspected during the special operations which entered its 27th day on Wednesday.

From the figure, a total of 2,996 local and foreign tourists were inspected, comprising 447 from Korea, 1,312 from China, nine from Germany, 1,050 from Malaysia, 55 from Taiwan, 18 Australians, eight Singaporeans, 26 from Japan, 22 from the United Kingdom, three from the Netherlands, four Canadians and 69 others.

Among offences are disembarking at ungazetted places, expired boat licences and inadequate safety buoys.

He said a total of about RM9,200 compounds were issued throughout the operation, adding that MMEA officials also detected offences under the Immigration Act involving paperless boat crew.

Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.

Daily Express Malaysia

Towards this end, he said they will continue to take enforcement action proactively to ensure safety and peace at sea, including to make sure boat operators in the West Coast waters abide by the safety rules and regulations.

He said apart from the focus on tourist boats, MMEA is also focused on enforcing other laws relating to safety at sea.

Try 1 month for RM 18.00

Try 1 month for RM 18.00

Try 1 month for RM 18.00