PORT KLANG, Feb 4 — The marine police here detained a dredger, registered in the Republic of Togo, West Africa, for conducting dredging and sand mining activities without a permit in the waters off Tanjung Rhu, Telok Panglima Garang, Selangor, during an operation last Saturday.
The dredger was detained about 1.7 nautical miles off the Tanjung Rhu waters at 1.50pm by a team conducting the Op Gelora Khas.
Internal Security and Public Order Department director Datuk Seri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said a 35-year-old man, believed to be the skipper of the dredger, and five male crew members aged between 26 and 54, who are all Chinese nationals, were arrested to assist investigation.
He said that the dredger and sand seized amounted to about RM1.02 million.
“The dredger was detained while it was mining sand from the sea bed without a permit from the Selangor Land and Minerals director.
“Upon further investigation on the front deck of the dredger, we found 1,500 tonnes of sand believed to be from its mining activity,” he told a press conference at the Port Kland Marine Police Base here today.
Also present was Port Klang Marine Police Operation Team commanding officer DSP Mohd Khairuddin Jamal.
Acryl Sani said preliminary investigations found that the sand, meant for the local market, would be unloaded at a place in Sungai Langat, Banting, Selangor.
He said police also found that a local company had rented the 1,489-tonne and 70.5-metre long dredger for its illegal activities for the last two weeks.
“We also arrested a Myanmar man, 24, who we believe was hired to carry out maintenance work on the vessel,” he said. — Bernama
