KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 — The government is reviewing Malaysia’s maritime legal framework, including the possibility of imposing tougher penalties for marine pollution offences, through a comprehensive study by the Malaysia Maritime Law Review and Reform Committee (MLRRC).

Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah said the committee has been tasked with assessing the effectiveness of existing maritime legislation and identifying areas requiring amendments or improvements, particularly in navigational safety, marine environmental protection and ship-sourced pollution.

He said the review is essential to ensure Malaysia’s maritime laws remain relevant, responsive to current developments and consistent with the country’s obligations under international maritime conventions.

“The findings of the MLRRC study will serve as the basis for the government to consider amendments to relevant legislation, including measures to strengthen marine pollution prevention, incident preparedness and response, as well as liability and compensation mechanisms, to further enhance protection of the marine environment,” he said.

He said this during the Special Chamber session in the Dewan Rakyat today in response to a question from Datuk Mumtaz Md Nawi (PN-Tumpat), who asked about the effectiveness of the national marine pollution control action plan and its enforcement.

Hasbi added that, beyond legislative reforms, the government is also strengthening marine pollution management through periodic reviews of the Malaysia Oil Spill Contingency Plan, improvements to standard operating procedures, enhanced inter-agency coordination, continuous training and simulation exercises, and stronger national response capabilities for marine pollution incidents.

He said the government will continue to review policies, legislation and implementation mechanisms from time to time to ensure the country’s marine pollution management framework remains effective, efficient and in line with developments in the maritime sector and international best practices.

He stated that the government would continue to assess the need for improvements to policies, legislation, and implementation mechanisms from time to time to ensure that national marine pollution management remains effective, efficient, and aligned with developments in the maritime sector and international practices. — Bernama