EXCLUSIVE: MMEA, Royal Malaysian Navy detain China-registered dredger

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), in cooperation with the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN), detained a dredging vessel about 14.8 nautical miles northwest of Pulau Tanjung Hantu, near Lumut, earlier this week.

Director Maritime Capt., Mohamad Shukri Khotob, said that the Agency found 60 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders on the dredging vessel Chuan Hong 68, registered in Fuzhou, China.

“This controlled item did not have valid authorization from the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living,” said Khotob.

“The vessel has been taken to a designated anchorage, and a detention order has been issued. The case is being investigated under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 and the Control of Supplies Act 1961,“ he added.

According to MMEA, the dredger had a captain and 47 crew members, including 20 Chinese nationals, 26 Bangladeshi nationals, and one local crew member, all aged between 21 and 68 years.

Also, the vessel failed to present any original ship documents or port clearance, and one individual did not possess any documents as a crew member of the vessel.