On 16 May, a container ship registered in Liberia was detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency Selangor, approximately 22.5 nautical miles southwest of Sekinchan.
The vessel was detected earlier that morning at 9:20 AM by the Area Control Centre (ACC) SWASLA Klang for suspicious activity. Upon inspection, authorities found that the ship, operated by a 44-year-old Russian captain and crewed by 23 individuals of various nationalities aged between 32 and 50, had not obtained permission to anchor in Malaysian waters. Although all crew members had valid identification, the captain failed to produce any documents granting anchoring rights.
As a result, the vessel was found in violation of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance (MSO 1952) for anchoring without authorization from the Director General of the Malaysian Marine Department.
A detention order was issued, and both the captain and a second engineer were taken to the Selangor Maritime Headquarters for further investigation. If convicted, they face a fine of up to 23.419 USD, imprisonment for up to two years, or both.
Malaysian Maritime emphasized its continued commitment to enforcing maritime laws and urged the public to report any sea-related emergencies by calling 999 or contacting the Selangor Maritime Operations Centre at 013-6606652 or the national centre at 03-89957820.
