Alert Sabah oil tanker crew fend off pirate attack/MMEA: Vessels tailing Sabah oil tanker didn't try to hijack it

April 30, 2016 Saturday

By Hariz Mohd and Olivia Miwil

news@nst.com.my

Hijack bid foiled: Alarm scares away 4 pursuing boats in waters off Labuan

KOTA KINABALU: Meanwhile, The government will launch an operation similar to Ops Nyah to better control illegal entries across the country.

National Security Council (NSC)secretary Datuk Seri Alias Ahmad said Ops Nyah was launched many years ago aimed to curb smuggling and illegal activities.

"We have identified hotspots in Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Perak which have been targetted by for illegal activities.

"The operation, which will be rebranded under another name, meant to shut those illegal entries to complement existing enforcement activities," he said after chairing a meeting with various maritime agencies at federal administrative building here yesterday.

He also revealed during festivities there were increase number of vessels including small boats capsized or sank due to overloading while using those hotspots.

However, Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) will manage hotspots in the state.

Alias also said the authorities would tighten security at the waters off west coast of the state.

"Based on intelligence, there are signs that the place will become the choice for crime to take place."

Earlier, he said the meeting was meant to discuss on comprehensive standard operating procedure (SOP) for 10 agencies involved in maritime enforcement activities including Esscom, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, army, police marine, Customs department, Maritime Department and Fisheries department among others.

He explained the SOP would help to coordinate agencies in specific maritime operations such as rescuing crew boats or handling terrorism activities in the sea.

********************************************************************************************************
May 1, 2016 (Sunday)

By Olivia Miwil

olivia@nst.com.my

KOTA KINABALU: Five vessels which had tallied an oil tanker at Kikeh waters were merely using the same route heading to Labuan, said Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sabah and Labuan regional director First Admiral Mohd Zubil Mat Som.

During the Thursday morning incidence, the MV Armada Tuah 100 had just left Kikeh Floating Production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, which was about 120km northwest of Labuan.

The crew sounded alarm to alert MMEA when they had been tailed by four boats and a larger vessel.

The oil tanker returned to the FPSO while those boats headed to Labuan.

“Investigation showed those boats did not show any attempt to hijack or rob the tanker as nothing happened during the one-hour tailing period.

“Furthermore, the incidence happened during daytime and at waters heavily guarded by enforcement agencies,” he said.

Upon receiving alert from the tanker, a response team had been dispatched to the location. However, the team did not find any suspicious activities there.

Mohd Zubil added the MMEA had also taken statement from the captain of the oil tanker on details of the incidence but failed to get full description of those boats.

“Despite it has been clarified there is no attempt of hijack in this incidence, MMEA will continue to ensure Sabah waters is safe by working closely with other maritime agencies.

“We also would like to advise crew boats to alert any suspicious or unusual activities in the sea to authority.”  

.