Loke: Captain of Greek ship Pireas to face charges over collision with Malaysian vessel

KUALA LUMPUR: The captain of Greece-registered ship Pireas, which collided with a Malaysian vessel recently in the Straits of Johor, will face several charges under local laws, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.

He said the main reason behind the collision was human error, where the Pireas's crew members was found to be reckless, failed to take positive action and to show good seamanship.

"The Marine Department's investigative team completed its investigation on March 12 and proposed in its investigation papers to charge the captain of Pireas for four offences under the Merchant Shipping Order (collision regulations) 1984.

He said that if found guilty, Section 252 (3) of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 prescribes a fine of not more than RM10,000 for each offence, he told Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PAS-Pasir Mas) during Question Time in Parliament.

Ahmad Fadhli had asked the ministry to reveal the reason behind the collision and any action taken since the incident.

The collision between the Malaysian vessel Polaris and Greek-registered bulk carrier Piraeus earlier Feb 9 occurred in the new Johor Baru Port Limit within Malaysian territorial waters.

Wisma Putra maintains that the collision occurred in Malaysian waters, while Singapore claims it occurred in its territorial waters.

Loke said the investigation papers are currently being finalised before being submitted to Johor's deputy public prosecutor for further action for the offences committed by the ship's captain.

"All of the Pireas crew members were allowed to sail from Tanjung Pelepas port to its next destination on March 12.

"A bond worth RM1mil in the form of a bank guarantee was deposited by the owner of Pireas with Malaysia's Marine Department to ensure the compound payment or any form of compensation for any damage inflicted on Polaris," he said.

Loke added that the captain of Pireas had more than 30 years of sailing experience, but on the day of the incident, this was the first time the ship had sailed into the Johor Baru port.