MERSING: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained two Vietnamese-registered cargo vessels and its captains for anchoring illegally at 7.3 nautical miles northwest of Pulau Pemanggil, here, yesterday.
The vessels - Phuc Thuan 39 and Phuc Thuan 79 - had 12 and 11 crew members respectively. All were Vietnamese.
The vessel captains and chief engineers were detained after they failed to produce their anchoring permits nor declared their arrivals, which was an offence under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance (MSO) 1952.
Upon conviction, they could face a maximum RM100,000 fine or jailed up to two years, or both.
Mersing Maritime Zone director Commander Suhaizan Saadin said MMEA conducted frequent routine patrolling to curb illegal activities in Malaysian waters under their operations codenamed Ops Jaksa and Ops Tiris.
"During this routine patrol, our enforcement officers spotted the anchored vessels," he added.
He said MMEA will take stern actions against those found violating the law in Malaysian waters.
He urged the maritime community to report any criminal activities or emergencies at sea through the MERS 999 hotline or the State Maritime Operations Centre hotline at 07-219 9404.