Malaysia has launched a clampdown on ships anchoring illegally in the eastern waters of Johor, a location popular with ship’s masters awaiting orders.

Under Operation Jangkar Haram by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), ships can be detained for not obtaining the “relevant permission” to anchor.

Starting in late March, some 31 ships that anchored without the permission have been detained as part of the operation, according to Spica Services Group, the local protection and indemnity correspondent for most of the clubs in the International Group of P&I Clubs in several countries in South East Asia.

Under local law, Malaysian territorial waters are deemed to be 12 nautical miles (22 km) offshore. However, it has been reported that the MMEA appears to be using territorial limits under a 1979 chart.

“In the waters of Southern Johore, often inaccurately referred to as Singapore outside port limits (OPL) East, these territorial limits are as much as 60 nautical miles offshore,” said Spica.

The Standard Club said the most common offences where ships were detained recently included anchoring without approval and ship-to-ship (STS) transfer of bunkers without approval.

Since 2017, a total of 176 ships have been charged under section 491B of the Malaysian Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952, with levied fines totalling MYR 11.5m ($2.8m).

Under that law, any ship which is engaged in activities such as tank cleaning, bunkering, pilotage or any STS activity in Malaysian waters is required to notify and obtain approval.

Failing to comply with section 491B is a criminal offence, and the penalty can be a fine of up to MYR 100,000, imprisonment for up to two years or a combination of both.

However, the Standard Club said it was not uncommon for the fine imposed to be reduced to around MYR 50,000 ($12,000) per offence. Release procedures are said to typically take several weeks to conclude.

The region has a history of ships being detained under such circumstances, as it is not always straightforward for masters to differentiate between international waters and those of Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia in and around the Singapore and Malacca straits.

There are no international waters in or around the Singapore Strait, so when a ship waits in the Singapore OPL, it may still be in territorial waters of either Malaysia or Indonesia.