The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency detained the crude oil tanker ‘MT Saiq’ over lack of anchoring permit, on May 21. The vessel was anchored off Pulau Jarak since May 16, and failed to submit a permit to anchor. After the detention, the ship and all of its 25 crewmembers, along with their Captain were detained as well.
Plastic waste is entering Malaysia via shipping containers with false reports of another type of import that does not need permit, according to the country’s Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin. A two-week investigation concluded that plastic waste is being smuggled in from countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, United States and Germany.
COSCO Shipping International (Singapore) informed it is taking steps to expand its business in Malaysia by obtaining a lease of a piece of land in Port Klang and constructing a warehouse of approximately 300,000 square feet on the land for the Group’s operations.
MPA Singapore informed of a Port Limits – Suspension Notification, that came into operation on 8 April 2019. The circular suspends Singapore’s and Malaysia’s implementation of overlapping limits, bringing back the port limits in place prior to 25 October 2018 and 6 December 2018 respectively.
Indonesia has plans to upgrade the Port of Batam with a 1.2 trillion rupiah (S$115 million) financing from state port operator Pelindo I. This decision comes after Malaysia’s aspiration to develop a multi-million-dollar project off Johor’s Port. The plan for the Port of Batam aims to improve cargo handling, in order to enhance its competitiveness.
Malaysia and Singapore have reached an agreement to restore relations regarding their disputed maritime border area, and namely the overlapping Johor Bahru Port Limits off Tanjung Piai and Singapore Port Limits off Tuas, that have constituted an issue of diplomatic tensions between the two countries for months.
An International Conference on Regional Cooperation for the Protection of the Marine Environment, organised by the Centre for International Law of the National University of Singapore (NUS), discussed cooperative efforts by regional bodies and platforms, and ways to improve the state of the marine environment in the region.
Fire broke out in the engine room of Dragon Star 1 ferry, on February 25. At the time of the incident the ferry was carrying 52 passengers, and was heading from Kuah Terminal, Langkawi Island to Kuala Perlis, northwest Malaysia. All passengers were rescued, but two were injured and were transferred to hospital.
The Centre for International Law of the National University of Singapore (NUS) organised a conference on Regional Cooperation for the Protection of the Marine Environment. The Conference was conducted to discuss collaborative efforts by existing regional bodies and platforms and also find ways to enhance the state of the marine environment in the region.
Stable Seas published a report focused on piracy attacks daunting around the Sulu and Celebes Seas. The report adopts an overall approach to get an insight on linkages between maritime governance themes and maritime security challenges in the Sulu and Celebes Seas.
