Asia/Pacific News
Illegal Malaysian Anchoring 'Mistaken' in Most Cases: Gard
Most cases in the recent wave of Malaysian vessel arrests over illegal anchoring in their waters came down to mistakes over the ship's location, according to insurance association Gard.
Malaysia's authorities have recently stepped up efforts to arrest vessels illegally anchoring in waters off East Johor without prior permission.
"In nearly all the cases Gard has handled, mariners had mistakenly understood their anchoring position to be outside Malaysian territorial waters," the insurance association said in a statement on its website this week.
"These waters are sometimes referred to as Singapore OPL East, or sometimes even international waters."
Getting a vessel released after its arrest in these circumstances can take anything between a few days and a few weeks, Gard said, and fines can cost up to about $24,000.
