A tanker was detained by the Malaysian authorities for allegedly anchoring without permission on the night of October 7 about 14.3 nautical miles off Penang waters.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) reported that the tanker, carrying gasoline, had 20 Chinese crew members onboard. All of them had valid identification documents.

“However, further inspection found the ship did not have permission to anchor from the Director of the Malaysian Marine Department as required under the law,” an official from the MMEA authority said.

The official noted that the vessel’s captain refused to cooperate with the enforcement team by not providing important documents related to the ship.

There were also some crew members who blocked the officials, the MMEA said, from returning to their patrol boat after boarding the tanker.

An investigation is currently in progress for offences related to unauthorised anchoring and obstruction of official duties.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency stressed that it will not compromise with any party that violates the country’s maritime laws, and will continue to tighten surveillance, especially against suspicious activities in the state’s waters.