KOTA KINABALU: A ship captain and seven crew members have been arrested for various offences while their vessel was also impounded for investigations in Labuan on Wednesday (April 5).
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) deputy director of operations for Labuan, Mohd Hafiz Abd Mutalib, said the vessel was raided at around 1pm in waters off the island.
"Our patrol vessel KM Bistari was conducting operations and carrying out routine checks on Malaysian-registered vessels at that time," he said in a statement Thursday (April 6).
Upon inspection, marine officials found that the ship had no insurance documents, port clearance documents and legal crew member documents displayed, he said.
Mohd Hafiz said during the inspection, the captain and seven crew members comprising Malaysians, Filipinos and Myanmar nationals aged between 21 and 47 were on board.
"We also found that the captain and his crew, along with the chief engineer, did not have legal competency and qualification documents," he added.
All crew members and the vessel were hauled to the Labuan maritime jetty for investigations under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952.
Mohd Hafiz said operations and patrols are conducted on a regular basis to ensure the legality of all vessels and crew members in the area.
Information on suspected crimes at sea can be channelled to the Labuan maritime operations centre at 087-453777 or 999.
