Bernama 26 Nov 15;
JOHOR BAHARU, Nov 26 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) seized a sand-laden tugboat and detained its skipper and 10 Indonesian crew members 17 nautical miles off Tanjung Sedili in Kota Tinggi yesterday.
Sedili district MMEA enforcement chief, Captain Amran Daud said his officers spotted the tugboat at about 10.00 am while they were patrolling the surrounding waters.
"Upon inspection, we discovered that the tugboat, which was registered with Bestlink XVIII, was heading towards a neighbouring country and was towing a barge laden with 4,800 tonnes of river sand," he said in a statement here this evening.
The skipper and crew members, aged between 20 and 50 years, were later taken to the Tanjung Sedili Maritime office for further investigations.
The case is being investigated under Section 135 (1)(e) of the Customs Act 1967.
-- BERNAMA
