The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has detained four barter trade vessels. MMEA Batu Pahat director Mohammad Othman said the vessels were detained between 0.25 and 0.7 nm off Pulau Sialu during the afternoon of September 5th, under the country’s Ops Jaksa operation.
“Upon inspection, we found the captains of the four vessels failed to produce barter trade insurance documentations,’’ Othman said, noting that it was an offence for barter trade vessels not to have insurance and adding that the agency would from time to time monitor their movements in the country’s waters.
The vessels have been towed to Batu Pahat’s MMEA Jetty to help in the investigation under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952.