TAWAU: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Tawau Zone detained a cargo boat carrying a load of palm oil fruits, suspected of violating the terms of its licence by failing to notify the change of captain, at 8.30pm, on Friday.
Its Director, Maritime Captain Shahrizan Raman, said the boat, which was traveling from Pulau Sebatik towards the waters of Kinabutan, was detected by MMEA personnel during Op Pluto Timur and Op Tiris.
He said an initial inspection of the boat at 2.8 nautical miles south of Tinagat revealed that it was being operated by a 40-year-old Indonesian.
“The man had valid identification documents. However, a check on the boat’s registration documents found that the captain’s name was not listed,” he said.
Shahrizan said the boat operator’s failure to adhere to the legal requirements of the boat’s licence should be addressed to send a strong message to others.
He said the detained boat, along with its captain, was brought to the Tawau Maritime Zone Jetty for further investigations.
The case, with an estimated seizure value of RM46,000, is being investigated under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance (MSO) 1952.
Shahrizan called on the maritime community to report any criminal misconduct occurring in the waters around Tawau by contacting the Tawau Maritime Zone Operations Centre at 089-752116 or the emergency line 999 for immediate response.
