SHAH ALAM, Nov 4 — The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained two separate groups in Selangor and Terengganu for violating maritime laws, including illegal fishing and trespassing on an offshore oil platform.
In Selangor, a local Class C fishing vessel was seized near Sabak Bernam yesterday for breaching license conditions.
The boat’s skipper and three Myanmar crewmen, aged between 19 and 33, were caught fishing about 12.7 nautical miles off the coast.
In a statement today, Selangor Maritime director Captain Abdul Muhaimin Muhammad Salleh said the crew failed to produce valid identification or work permits and were found using fishing nets smaller than the 38mm size limit.
About 100kg of mixed fish catch were confiscated, and the case is being investigated under the Fisheries Act 1985 and the Immigration Act 1959/63.
Meanwhile, in Terengganu, four Indonesian men were arrested for trespassing on an unoccupied oil platform 139 nautical miles northeast of Kuala Kemaman on Sunday (November 2).
Kemaman Maritime Zone director Commander Abdul Halim Hamzah said the men, aged between 27 and 62, were found hiding in a ventilation shaft after a complaint from the platform’s owner revealed signs of cable theft.
“Several tools used for cutting electrical cables were also discovered.
“The suspects admitted to stealing cables and were taken to the Kemaman Maritime Jetty for further investigation,” he said in a statement.
Abdul Halim added that the MMEA will continue to strengthen patrols to protect Malaysia’s strategic assets from illegal activities, urging the maritime community to report any suspicious incidents at sea.
