MERSING: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has detained an Indonesian vessel for illegally transporting dutiable goods.
MMEA Mersing Zone Maritime Commander Suhaizan Saadin said the vessel, believed to be carrying tin ore, was apprehended at the Endau Fishermen Jetty near here.
He said the vessel, which came from Tanjung Pinang, Riau Islands, was caught behaving suspiciously at 0.9 nautical miles (1.66km) east of Tanjung Kempit on Thursday (May 6) at 5pm during Ops Jaksa and Ops Tiris.
“Upon inspection, we discovered some 20,040kg of tin ore onboard the vessel, bound for Tanjung Gemok, Rompin in Pahang,’’ Suhaizan said in a statement on Friday (June 7).
He said the 20,040kg of tin ore were estimated to be worth around RM2.6mil based on commodity prices traded in 2020.
Suhaizan added that the captain of the ship did not inform the authorities and failed to submit documents from the authorities to transport dutiable goods.
He said the captain and the five crew members, all Indonesians aged 22 to 46, were detained and brought to the MMEA Mersing Zone headquarters to assist with the investigation.
The case is being investigated under Custom Act 1967, Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 and Immigration Act 1959/63.
Suhaizan urged those with information on maritime-related criminal activities or accidents within Johor waters to contact the Malaysian Emergency Response Services line at 999 or the Johor Maritime Operation Centre at 07-2199404.
