Ship captain requests for a shower before being arrested

KOTA TINGGI - "I want to take a shower first," said the captain of a tanker after being detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (Malaysian Maritime) in East Johor waters on Friday morning.

The captain was seen arguing with someone on the phone believed to be a middleman to the ship's agent, and refused to cooperate with authorities for his statement to be recorded despite being instructed to do so many times by the Malaysian Maritime Operations officers.

"We have helped him with his affairs. We really want to work here but he has got to take responsibility," said the ship's captain in a high tone as he was trying to explain his situation to the officers.

Tanjung Sedili Maritime Zone Maritime Commander and acting director Mohd Najib Sam said, the tanker which was registered in Zanzibar, Tanzania was arrested for committing three offenses under the Malaysian Maritime law.

The ship which was anchored illegally, also failed to report its arrival to the Johor Port Authority and had an insufficient number of crew abroad

In addition to anchoring illegally, the ship also failed to report its arrival to the Johor Port Authority and the number of the ship's crew was insufficient as recorded in the 'Safe Manning Certificate'.

"The result of the inspection found that the ship carrying five Indonesian crew members failed to submit the permission document to anchor at a position of 1.5 nautical miles southeast of Teluk Ramunia," he told Sinar

The vessel was detained and the captain was taken to the Tanjung Sedili Maritime Zone office for further action.

The case is being investigated under Section 491B(1) (L) of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance (MSO) 1952 which provides for a fine not exceeding RM100,000 for each offense or imprisonment not exceeding two years or both.

Meanwhile, for Section 72 (1) of the same ordinance, for insufficient crew members, a fine of up to RM100,000 can be imposed if convicted.

Op Jangkar Haram this time was led by Second Lieutenant (M), M Parthiban and his six crew members.

Maritime Malaysia ensures that it will intensify efforts to guard the waters of East Johor and to make sure it is free from illegal anchoring attempts in order to maintain the safety of the waters.