Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency News

MAN Energy Solutions and Doen WaterJets (DOEN) have agreed to join forces to offer a fully integrated propulsion system solution to the Australian Army’s LAND 8710 Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel Phase 1A (LMV-M) program.The program aims to acquire a medium landing craft suitable for a range of missions in Australia’s northern waters and beyond.The cooperation spans the full product lifecycle including propulsion system design, integrated logistics support and commissioning, through…

Malaysia's maritime authorities on Monday said cannon shells believed to be from World War Two have been found on a China-registered bulk carrier ship detained at the weekend for anchoring in its waters without permission.The discovery comes amid reports this month that scavengers have targeted two British World War Two wrecks off the coast of Malaysia - the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse - which were sunk by Japanese torpedoes in 1941, just three days after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

Three crew members of a Gabon-registered tanker were missing after the vessel caught fire on Monday in waters off Malaysia's southern coast, Malaysian maritime authorities said.The tanker was on its way from China to Singapore with 28 crew members on board, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said, adding that 23 were rescued by the MMEA and by nearby vessels.The MMEA said it commenced search and rescue operations after receiving an alert at 1600 local time about a tanker on fire.The cause of the incident was under investigation, the maritime agency said.In a separate statement, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore identified the vessel as 'Pablo'.Pablo Union Shipping…

China’s foreign ministry said Monday the country had asked Malaysia to safeguard the rights of Chinese nationals it had detained for trespassing in its waters, and investigate the case according to the law.Malaysia’s maritime authorities said on Saturday they had detained 60 Chinese nationals and six Chinese-registered fishing vessels.Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a daily news briefing in Beijing that officials from China’s embassy in Malaysia have visited the sailors, and that the vessels were in Malaysian waters when they were detained.Malaysia reported 89 intrusi

Malaysia’s maritime authorities said on Saturday they had detained 60 Chinese nationals and six Chinese-registered fishing vessels they said were trespassing into the Southeast Asian country’s waters.Malaysia reported 89 intrusions by Chinese coastguard and navy ships between 2016 and 2019, amid escalating tensions between the United States and China over Beijing’s claims to most of the resource-rich South China Sea, which is also a major trade route.The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said the fishing vessels and crew were detained in an operation off the coast of the southern st

Malaysia said on Monday that a Vietnamese fisherman died from gunshot wounds after a confrontation broke out when the country’s coast guard sought to inspect two boats they believed were illegally fishing.In a statement, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said 19 Vietnamese fishermen had been on board the boats, accusing them of pelting the enforcement ship with hard objects, as well as flammable items, before eventually ramming it.The statement said that incident took place in waters off Kelantan state and that coast guard officers onboard had responded by firing in self-defense, wound

Malaysia will detain and charge crew members of Vietnamese vessels caught illegally fishing in its waters instead of turning them away as authorities had done previously, the country's coastguard chief said on Wednesday.Vietnam and its neighbors have for years been involved in disputes over fishing in the resource-rich South China Sea, most of which is claimed by China.

Malaysian authorities said on Sunday they had intercepted a boat ferrying a group of 202 people believed to be ethnic Rohingya.Malaysia, which does not recognize refugee status, is a favored destination for ethnic Rohingya fleeing a military-led crackdown in Myanmar and squalid conditions at refugee camps in Bangladesh.The boat was found adrift around one nautical mile from a luxury beachside resort on the holiday island of Langkawi, off the west coast of the Malaysian peninsula, the Malaysian maritime enforcement agency said in a statement.The group included 152 men, 45 women and 5 children. All 202 have been detained at the coastguard's Kedah state headquarters.The group will be handed over to immigration authorities for attempting to enter the country illegally…

An oil tanker, which shipping data showed was managed by a Chinese company under U.S. sanctions, refused to allow an inspection by maritime authorities while anchored in Malaysian waters, Malaysia's maritime agency said.Silvana III's commercial manager is Kunlun Shipping Co Ltd, according to shipping transparency website Equasis.org.Kunlun is one of several firms placed under U.S. sanctions this year for alleged involvement in transporting oil from Iran.The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said the Silvana III, which anchored off Kuala Kurau on Malaysia's west coast on Dec. 5, did not follow instructions to drop its ladder to allow officers to conduct checks."After several attempts to instruct the ship to drop ladder were not heeded…

The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard and the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) began Maritime Training Activity (MTA) Malaysia 2019 marked by an opening ceremony at Lumut Naval Base, Aug. 14.MTA Malaysia 2019 is a continuation of 25 years of maritime engagements between the U.S. Navy and Royal Malaysian Navy serving to enhance mutual capabilities in ensuring maritime security and stability.The Pacific Area commander for the U.S. Coast Guard, Vice Adm. Linda Fagan, said that working alongside the U.S. Navy and international partners in this exercise is an important part of their mission in the Indo-Pacific.

During January-April 2019, four incidents of unauthorized boarding of ships in locations of close proximity to each other were reported in the western sector of Singapore Strait.All four incidents occurred to tug boats towing barges and dredger while underway in the westbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS). Of the four incidents, two incidents reported loss of scrap metal, and nothing was reported stolen in the other two incidents. The crew was not injured in all four incidents.With the occurrence of four incidents in close proximity to each other within a period of three months…

Malaysia seizes 3,300 rare turtles from a boat in suspected trafficking caseMalaysian authorities seized about 3,300 rare pig-nosed turtles on Wednesday suspected of being smuggled into the Southeast Asian country.The turtles, found in Australia and on the Indonesian island of Papua, are endangered due to high demand from exotic pet traders, wildlife experts said.Seven packages of turtles were discovered during a boat inspection near Johor on Malaysia's southern coast, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said in a statement…

The second quarterly report from the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) shows that all 2018 crew kidnappings have so far occurred in the Gulf of Guinea in six separate incidents.A total of 107 incidents were reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) in the first six months of 2018. In total, 69 vessels were boarded, with 23 attempted attacks, 11 vessels fired upon and four vessels hijacked. No vessels were reported as hijacked in the second quarter.The number of crewmembers taken hostage increased from 63 to 102 compared to the same time period in 2017.The number of crew kidnappings decreased from 41 by the second quarter in 2017 to 25 so far in 2018.

A total of 40 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships (comprising 29 actual incidents and 11 attempted incidents) were reported in Asia during January-June 2018 compared to 47 incidents (comprising 40 actual incidents and seven attempted incidents) during January-June 2017.ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) in its Half-Yearly (January to June 2018) Report said that it was the lowest number of incidents reported among the 10-year reporting period of January-June of 2009-2018.This accounts for a 15% decrease in the number of incidents reported during January-June 2018 compared to January-June 2017. Of the 40 incidents reported during January-June 2018…

Rescuers were scouring the waters off Malaysia's southern coast on Monday for 18 people missing after a boat carrying migrants from Indonesia capsized, killing one woman, a Malaysian maritime official said. Southern Malaysian waterways, which border Indonesia and Singapore, include busy international shipping lanes and rich fishing grounds. Overloaded migrant boats also ply the waters and occasionally run into trouble. Twenty-five people, including a woman, were rescued after the boat, believed to be carrying 44 illegal immigrants, sank early on Monday, said Abu Bakar Idris, an official of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).

One person drowned while 14 others were missing after a Chinese sand-dredging vessel capsized off Malaysia's southern state of Johor on Wednesday (March 21), officials said.   Three Chinese crew members were rescued safely after authorities received reports that the JBB Rong Chang 8 had overturned in the waters of Parit Jawa, in Muar district, at 8.50 a.m. local time (0050 GMT), the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said in a statement.   Search and rescue operations were ongoing, with two patrol boats deployed, the agency said.   The Chinese-owned, Dominican-registered dredger was carrying one Malaysian, an Indonesian and 16 Chinese crew members.    Source: Reuters

A total of 121 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were reported in the first nine months of 2017, according to the International Chamber of Commerce's (ICC) International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) latest quarterly report on maritime piracy. The flagship global report notes that, while piracy rates were down compared to the same period in 2016, there is continuing concern over attacks in the Gulf of Guinea and in South East Asia. The increase in attacks off the coast of Venezuela and other security incidents against vessels off Libya - including an attempted boarding in the last quarter - highlights the need for vigilance in other areas.

Malaysian authorities thwarted the hijacking of a Thai oil tanker on Thursday and arrested 10 suspected Indonesian pirates on board the ship, a maritime security agency commander said. A special team from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) stormed the MT Tanker MGT1, off the coast of the northeastern state of Terengganu, nearly 10 hours after it was reported missing on Wednesday. While the 10 were detained on the tanker, three suspects on a smaller boat nearby managed to escape, and an MMEA vessel has been sent to find them, the agency's chief, Maritime Admiral Zulkifli Abu Bakar, said in a statement. The boat was spotted near the tanker by a surveillance aircraft.

A boat carrying 31 people, including 28 Chinese tourists, is missing off the coast of Borneo, Malaysian maritime authorities said on Sunday. The boat left Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Malaysia's eastern Sabah state, at about 9 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Saturday bound for the popular tourist spot of Mengalum island, officials said. It was reported missing at about 9.50 p.m. after failing to arrive at the island and a search operation was launched soon after, Sabah and Labuan Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) deputy director Rahim Ramli said. Bad weather was hampering the search effort, which covers an area of about 400 nautical square miles. "We are looking at strong winds and choppy waters," he said.

A boat ferrying 40 people from Indonesia capsized off Malaysia's coast on Monday and at least nine people were killed and nearly 30 were missing, the latest accident involving migrant workers in overloaded boats. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said it had recovered the bodies of six women and three men and rescued two people from the early morning accident. Twenty-nine people were unaccounted for. The agency said a combination of overloading and bad weather and heavy seas were believed to have caused the accident. There has been a string of accidents in the waterways between Indonesia and Malaysia involving overloaded boats ferrying labourers seeking work in Malaysian factories and plantations.

Radio Holland  Malaysia (RHM) secured a contract from Destini Shipbuilding & Engineering for the supply of Navigation and Communication equipment on board of six New Generation Patrol Crafts (NGPC). The vessels are being built for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA). The scope of work encompasses detailed design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the Navigation and Communication equipment including the Steering System and Thermal Cameras. The vessels will play an important role in maritime search and rescue operations.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained a Russian oil tanker Zolotoi Most along with 25 crew members for anchoring off Tanjung Piai without authorization, says a report in the Sputnik. "The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency has confirmed the detention of the Russian oil tanker near the state of Johor at 12:30 local time [04:30 GMT] on August 18. The tanker was detained over the absence of authorization documents for anchorage," the Russia’s embassy in Kuala Lumpur said. MMEA Johor Baru operations deputy director Commander Iskandar Ishak said that a patrolling unit received information that the vessel MT ZOLOTOJ MOST  had anchored 3.5 nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Piai here at about 9am on Thursday.

Malaysian and Indonesian maritime authorities were searching for a fuel tanker with 10 crew members on board that has disappeared in an apparent hijacking. According to a Reuters report, the oil tanker carrying 900,000 litres of diesel has been hijacked and taken into Indonesian waters, Malaysian maritime authorities said. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said in a statement that the ship, Vier Harmoni, has been located in the waters off Batam, Indonesia. The MMEA said they have yet to confirm the identity of the hijackers. But, according to  Indonesian Navy, the oil tanker, believed hijacked in Malaysia, has been taken back to Indonesia by its crew following a commercial dispute.