The ship will undergo a safety inspection before a full investigation begins.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said the ship was successfully being towed on Friday (August 15). According to MMEA, the unidentified ship was first spotted on August 12.

Officials said a detailed inspection will be carried out including an investigation into the identity of the ship.

The operation to control and tow the vessel was carried out as a result of a strategic cooperation between the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and other agencies and stakeholders to ensure the safety of the country’s waters and the smooth running of activities in the oil platform area.

MMEA said in a short post on social media Facebook: “The vessel was detected drifting due to technical failure, but the quick action of the operations team managed to avoid the risk of collision or threat at sea.”

An MMEA official said the ship was spotted about four nautical miles east of the platform, following a report at 4.45pm on August 12.

“The vessel drifted past the oil platform area and posed a potential threat to the safety of other surrounding platforms,” he said in a statement.