LABUAN: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained a tugboat after it was found behaving suspiciously during Op Sejahtera 1/2022 and Op Tiris 3.0 off Sipitang on Sunday afternoon.
The vessel was spotted by Bot Penggalang 24 while heading towards the Petronas Chemical Fertiliser Sabah jetty before officers moved in for an inspection.
Checks revealed multiple suspected offences under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952, including incomplete vessel documents, sailing without a chief engineer, lacking insurance, missing crew agreements, an outdated officer’s logbook, and failure to display a valid MCMC certificate.
The tugboat was escorted to the Labuan MMEA jetty for further action by the agency’s Investigation Section.
Labuan MMEA director Izwanhadi Idros said firm action is necessary to uphold maritime safety and compliance, especially in high-risk industrial and trading routes, while urging the public to report suspicious activities at sea via the 999 emergency line or the agency’s operations centre.
