A tanker registered in Bridgetown has been detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) for illegal anchoring in the waters off Batu Pahat over the weekend.

The vessel was intercepted by an MMEA patrol boat about 12.8 nautical miles southwest of Tanjung Segenting, MMEA said in a social media post on Sunday

The ship’s master failed to produce any anchoring permit during inspection.

The vessel, manned by 18 Indian nationals aged between 22 and 45, including the master, had departed from Dubai and stopped at Tanjung Bruas Port in Melaka to load 6,894 mt of tar.

It was en route to Vietnam at the time of the incident. All crew members were found to possess valid travel documents, MMEA said.

“The case will be investigated under Section 491B(1)(L) of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 for anchoring without the permission of the Director General of the Malaysian Marine Department, which provides for a fine not exceeding RM100 thousand or imprisonment not exceeding two years or both,” it said.