Asia/Pacific News
Vessels Detailed After Suspected Illegal Ship-to-Ship Transfer
Wednesday August 2, 2017
Two vessels Tuesday were detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEAA) having been suspected of carrying out an illegal ship-to-ship oil transfer, several local media sources have reported.
The alleged offence took place 6.5 nautical miles south of Labuan, with officers said to have spotted the vessels at 10.50 pm.
"We have detained four crew of Indonesian nationals and a Malaysian believed to be the company's staff," Bernama reported MMEA Labuan enforcement chief Capt Che Adnan Md Isa as saying.
The crew had not informed the Marine Department on the transfer, which was an offence, he added.
Bernama reports the incident marks the 18th vessel arrest of the year by MMEA officials.
