Malaysian Oil Tanker Taken over Commercial Dispute
An oil tanker, which was earlier reported to have been hijacked and sailed into Indonesian waters, was believed to have been taken due to a commercial dispute, Malaysian authorities said on Wednesday. Vier Harmoni, carrying 900,000 litres of diesel, went missing after leaving the Tanjung Pelepas port on the eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia on Tuesday before it was relocated in the waters off Batam, Indonesia. A Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) spokesman confirmed to Reuters that there was no element of terrorism involved in the tanker's disappearance. The spokesman said early investigations showed the tanker had been taken due to a disagreement between the ship's management and the crew.
Malaysia Gets Tough on Ships in Prohibited Anchorages
During a special operation against ship owners who anchored in undesignated and prohibited areas, 40 officers on MMEA's ship and five boats, conducted operations in Pengerang, Malaysia waters. Ships arrested included the Erwan Adventure tugboat, MT Krysper Singa and MT Titan Wisdon, which are registered in Singapore, Atami Maru (San Lorenzo) and MT Ruyi (Tarawa, Kiribati). MT Eastern and KGT failed to produce their ship registrations. The 82 crew members detained included 54 Indonesians, 14 Myanmar nationals, 12 Thais and two Chinese nationals. MMEA enforcement officer, First Admiral Adon Shalan, said a tugboat and six tankers had anchored in the prohibited areas…
Oil Tanker Pollution - Ship Apprehended
Southern Region Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) in a statement said the MT Fortune tanker was located at night 3.4 nautical mile south of Tanjung Stapa . Its enforcement chief Maritime First Admiral Adon Shalan said a patrol team boarded the tanker and found 11 Indonesian crewmen cleaning the tank. "We also found between 300 and 400 gunny sacks of soild fuel waste. The captain also failed to furnish any documents to permit scheduled removal of solid fuel waste. "We believe that operation was carried out at night to elude authority," said Adon. The case is being investigated for anchoring without permit and unannounced arrival in local waters.
