Vessel detained for causing oil spill

JOHOR BARU: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has detained a United Kingdom-registered vessel after leaked fuel was found near Tanjung Piai waters.

The vessel was on its way from Singapore to Brazil when the incident occurred on Tuesday on the western coastal areas of Johor, along the Malacca Straits.

Johor Baru Maritime director Capt Aminuddin Abd Rashid said the vessel was ferrying 5,495 metric tonnes of Heavy Fuel Oil from the island republic to the South American country when there was a leak on the right side of the ship.

“MMEA received a report from the Department of Environment (DOE) about the leakage, and one of our patrol boat was ordered to find and detain the vessel for further action.

“The vessel had anchored some three nautical miles west of Tanjung Piai when they found the leakage and was in the midst of transferring the oil to another vessel,” he said in a statement.

Aminuddin added that the leakage had caused the heavy fuel oil to spill into the sea, covering some 20 nautical miles area.

He also said that the vessel’s company was currently conducting cleaning work around the affected area.

MMEA will continue to monitor their cleaning process to make sure all the areas have been cleaned and prevent the oil from reaching the coastal area, causing more damage, he said.

Aminuddin also added that MMEA would continue to work closely with the Marine Department and DOE to monitor pollution in Malaysian waters.

He said the vessel has been detained to assist with investigations by the DOE under the Environmental Quality Act 1974.