Labuan MMEA detains cargo boat ferrying 7 passengers
Published on: Sunday, March 19, 2023
By: Bernama
Capt Nudin said during checks, the passengers (six Malaysians and a Filipino), aged between 29 and 45 years old, were on board the boat manned by a 33-year-old skipper who failed to produce a valid licence to ferry passengers during the inspection. - Bernama pix
LABUAN: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) here detained a cargo boat ferrying seven passengers 0.4 nautical miles off Pulau Papan, here, on Friday.MMEA Labuan Director Capt. Nudin Jusoh said the unlicensed boat was detained by a patrol boat during “Ops Sejahtera” and “Ops Khas Kuda Laut” about 10am.
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“It was during our routine checks on boats and vessels around Labuan waters when we intercepted a suspicious looking small cargo boat with several people onboard.
“Upon checking, we found the cargo boat had committed an offence under the Domestic Shipping Licence (DSL) for ferrying passengers without a licence,” he said, Saturday.
The failure of any owner, charterer, master, or agent of a ship to possess a valid licence is an offence and if convicted for such an offence, is liable to a fine not exceeding RM10,000 or to imprisonment not exceeding one year, or both.
Capt Nudin said during checks, the passengers (six Malaysians and a Filipino), aged between 29 and 45 years old, were on board the boat manned by a 33-year-old skipper who failed to produce a valid licence to ferry passengers during the inspection.
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He said the boat, the skipper and all passengers on board were escorted back to the MMEA jetty in Patau-Patau, and all the passengers were released the same day.
“We must remind all boat owners and skippers to always comply with the existing procedures and regulations at sea.
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“Passengers must also ensure sure they are using legal ocean transportation so that their safety is secure if there is any mishaps,” he said.
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