GEORGE TOWN – An Iranian tugboat crew had apparently ignored a directive by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) to stay in international waters when it sailed through rough weather to dock at the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT) in Penang.
Officials with Penang Port Sdn Bhd revealed that the tugboat skipper made the drastic move because two of its five crew members were ill and needed medical attention.
It is learnt that the MV Fire Man Zanzibar, a firefighting tugboat, may have radioed a distress call a day earlier and were told to stay stationary, but the skipper continued to make the bold move to trespass into the Malaysian waters.
“Before they docked, the MMEA had informed us of a possible emergency. But the tugboat skipper was adamant because the crew members looked seriously unwell,” said port officials.
The fact remains that the tugboat managed to sail all the way to dock at the commercial part of the port, signalling a possible security breach or miscommunication among authorities overseeing maritime protection.
When contacted, Seberang Prai Utara district police chief ACP Noorzainy Mohd Noor confirmed that the marine department had lodged a police report on the incident on December 10.
The case is now under the purview of three parties – the marine department, the police and the immigration department as it concerns trespassing across the border.
Earlier, it was reported that the marine department is investigating how the tugboat travelled illegally into Malaysian waters recently and docked undetected at the Penang Port operational area.
The vessel’s berthing at the NBCT was done without prior approval from the port authorities.
It has raised an alarm on the national security front, officials told The Vibes.
The MV Fire Man Zanzibar had performed the unauthorised berthing at NBCT on December 10 after sailing from what is believed to be Japan.
Penang Port Sdn Bhd CEO Datuk Sasedharan Vasudevan said the vessel could not remain at NBCT as the area is accredited as an International Ship and Port Facility Security terminal and so it was directed to temporarily berth at the Prai Wharf.
The crew on the vessel were not allowed to leave it as they were present here illegally. However two of them who were ill came out and sat at the berthing area, he said..
“The port police were immediately alerted, and the crew were handed over to the authorities and given treatment at the Seberang Jaya Hospital,” he added.
Sasedharan said PPSB was alerted by the marine department on the night of December 10 about the vessel. It was then found berthed at NBCT the next day.
The crew members are now quarantined onboard the tugboat at the Prai Wharf under the watchful eyes of the authorities after the two ill members were treated and allowed to return to their ship.
It is believed that this was the first time that such an incident has occurred at the 200-year-old port, one of the oldest in the region.
Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim Chee Keong described the incident as a serious security breach which needs a prompt explanation from the authorities. – The Vibes, December 19, 2020.
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