Boat delayed use of expired safety equipment arrested

BINTULU, 1 Oct: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (Maritim Malaysia) of the Bintulu Maritime Zone detained a deferred boat suspected of using expired safety equipment in Kuala Kemena waters yesterday afternoon.

The Director of the Bintulu Maritime Zone, Captain Muhammad Suffian Eldine Abdullah said that the boat was detained at about 1.09 noon in a position 2.9 nautical miles northwest of Kuala Kemena.

According to him, the detention was carried out by a patrol team that is carrying out Op Tiris 3.0, Op Permai 01/2019 and Op Ambal 3.0.

"The inspection revealed that the boat was manned by eight Indonesian crew members, including a nakhoda.
The inspection also found outdated safety equipment used on the boat.

"The vessel is suspected of committing an offence under Section 300 of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance (MSO) 1952, relating to misconduct in sending unsafe ships (unseaworthy) to sea", he said in a statement today.

He said the boat and all crew were then escorted into Vesel Bintulu Maritime Zone Detention Centre before being handed over to Malaysian Maritime Investigative Officers for further action.

Maritim Malaysia reminds the maritime community to always comply with regulations and ensure that all safety equipment is in good condition and remains valid for its duration of use to ensure safety while at sea.