KOTA KINABALU: A passenger boat skipper was detained and his vessel confiscated for violating several maritime laws in waters off the city.
Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director for Sabah and Labuan First Adm Datuk Che Engku Suhaimi Che Engku Daik said the arrest was made after officials found the boat overloaded and operating under the wrong licence.
He said maritime officials were conducting an operation when they saw the vessel close to Mamutik Island near here on Monday (Aug 19).
“There were six extra passengers on board, more than the permitted capacity.
"We also found that the boat registration number on the boat did not match the designated specifications,” he said in a statement.
The engine series number was also different from what was stated on the licence, Suhaimi added.
Both the skipper and boat were taken back to the Sepanggar Maritime Jetty for further investigations, he said.
Suhaimi said the public can contact the MMEA operations centre at 088-387774 or 999 if they have anything to report.
