BINTULU, June 16 -- The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Bintulu Maritime Zone has detained a tugboat suspected of breaching navigation regulations after it failed to fly the Malaysian flag while operating within Malaysian port waters.

Bintulu Maritime Zone director Capt Muhammad Suffian Eldine Abdullah said the vessel was detained at about 10.10am on Sunday during enforcement patrols.

"The tugboat was intercepted approximately 2.4 nautical miles north-west off Kuala Kemena.

"Inspections revealed that the vessel was suspected of committing an offence under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance (MSO) 1952 by failing to display the Malaysian flag while within a Malaysian port from sunrise to sunset, as required by law," he said in ...