Enforcement being stepped up to deter crime during Raya, says MMEA
GEORGE TOWN: Maritime patrols are being stepped up for Hari Raya under Ops Pagar Laut to deter offenders who think festive seasons are a good time to break the law.
State Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director Kapt Muhammad Suffi Mohd Ramli said the operation, first launched nationwide in 2017, was now in its ninth year and remained a key enforcement effort to curb maritime crime during the festive period.
“According to MMEA’s Penang records, 25 arrests were made between 2020 and 2025 for various offences, with seized items worth almost RM200,000,” he told a press conference on board KM Sikuati on Friday night.
Muhammad Suffi said Ops Pagar Laut for this year was activated on Feb 26 after it was launched by MMEA director-general Maritime Adm Datuk Mohd Rosli, with operations in Penang running from March 6 until April 10.
He said the operation was divided into several phases, beginning with intelligence gathering.
“Information is being collected now. The second phase will focus on ensuring there are no suspicious activities leaving our waters,” he said.
“The third phase will take place after the celebration to prevent the entry of illegal immigrants and prohibited goods into the country, followed by a post-mortem.”
Muhammad Suffi said enforcement assets deployed in Penang included the patrol vessel KM Sikuati and two patrol boats monitoring activities in state waters.
“At any given time, we maintain at least two assets daily, one ship and one boat, throughout the operation period,” he said.
He added that the patrol vessel carried 15 crew members, including two officers, while the patrol boat was manned by an officer and six crew members.
During the patrol on Friday, which departed from Batu Maung jetty, enforcement personnel inspected a vessel registered in Langkawi that was spotted in southern Penang waters.
“The vessel was undergoing a sea trial and was not carrying passengers.
“After inspection, we found that it possessed all the necessary documents and there were no suspicious activities,” he said.
Muhammad Suffi said officers observed ongoing sand reclamation activities in southern Penang waters involving dredging vessels and sand transport ships.
He said such activities were being closely monitored and were conducted only during the day.
“So far, we have not detected any suspicious activity,” he said.
He said during the festive period, illegal activities often increased because offenders assumed enforcement agencies were less active.
Among the common offences are illegal trawling within the five nautical mile zone reserved for inshore fishermen.
“Trawlers can only fish beyond five nautical miles,” he added.
Muhammad Suffi said 22 officers and personnel would remain on duty on the first and second day of Hari Raya to ensure continuous enforcement in Penang.
