ALOR SETAR, April 7 -- A sunset cruise vessel was detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) for carrying passengers beyond the allowed limit Sunday.

Kedah and Perlis MMEA director Romli Mustafa said the vessel was detained at about 5.20 pm by an MMEA patrol boat during a routine patrol 0.3 nautical miles east of Pulau Bumbon Besar.

He said inspections found that the vessel had committed an offence under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 for carrying passengers exceeding the permitted capacity.

"The cruise ship was operated by a skipper with five local crew members aged between 23 and 37 while conducting recreational activities at sea," he said in a statement yesterday.

He added that the individuals involved, alon...