TAWAU: Two Indonesian boat skippers were arrested by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) for failing to comply with licence conditions, here, Wednesday.
Tawau Maritime Zone Director Captain Shahrizan Raman said the arrests were made during “Ops Pluto Timur” and “Ops Tiris” in Inderasabah waters, around 12.15pm.
“In the first case, a boat carrying out fishing activity in the area was found to have two Indonesian men aged 41 and 24 on board,” he said.
He added that a check found the name of the boat’s skipper was not registered in the licence.
About 15 minutes later, Sharizan said, a 37-year-old Indonesian skipper of another local cargo boat laden with oil palm fruits was detained after his name was also found to be not registered in the licence.
“The two boats along with the cargo and all the crew, were arrested and taken to the Tawau Maritime Zone Jetty for investigation under the Merchant Shipping
Ordinance 1952-MSO 1952 and the Sabah Ports and Docks Department Enactment (JPDS) 2002,” he said.
According to Sharizan, both boats including cargo worth more than RM160,000 were detained for further investigations.
He said the MMEA will continue to strengthen enforcement duties and optimise operations to combat illegal activities in the Malaysian Maritime Zone, especially in the waters of Eastern Sabah (Esszone).
He said any information on criminal activities around Tawau waters can be channelled to the Tawau Maritime Zone Operations Centre at 089-752116 and MERS line 999.
