Government has tightened vessel screening to prevent internationally sanctioned ships from entering Malaysian waters.
KUALA LUMPUR: The government has strengthened its vessel monitoring and screening mechanisms to prevent ships listed under international sanctions from entering Malaysian waters and ports.
In a written reply published on the Parliament website, the Transport Ministry of Transport (MOT) said the measures are being implemented through cooperation among multiple agencies, including the Marine Department, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, the Immigration Department and the Royal Malaysia Police.
According to the MOT, a total of 1,404 vessels have been placed on the MMEA’s watchlist and are also listed under various international sanctions regimes, including those of the United States’ Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the European Union (EU), the United Nations (UN), and the Australian Sanctions Office.
“To prevent vessels on international sanctions lists from entering Malaysian waters through ship renaming, reflagging, or changes in ownership, the government has implemented several control mechanisms.
“These mechanisms include pre-arrival screening of all vessel entry applications and identity verification using the IMO number, which is a unique identification number that remains with a vessel throughout its lifetime,” the ministry said.
The MOT was responding to a question from Senator Datuk Wu Him Ven, who asked what legal provisions and mechanisms the government uses to prohibit Israeli vessels, as well as Russian oil tankers, from docking in Malaysia.
The ministry said it also conducts monitoring through the Automatic Identification System (AIS), Vessel Traffic Services (VTS), the Port Management Information System, and other maritime surveillance systems to detect suspicious vessel movements and sailing patterns.
“If there is information indicating that a vessel is linked to activities that violate international sanctions or poses a risk to national security, the government may reject the vessel’s application to enter Malaysian waters, deny it permission to dock, or prohibit it from unloading cargo, in accordance with national laws and government policy,” the ministry said.
Regarding Israeli vessels, the MOT said that on 20 December 2023, the government banned Israeli-registered ships from docking at Malaysian ports; prohibited ships flying the Israeli flag from entering Malaysian ports; and revoked the operating permission of Israeli shipping company ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd.
However, as a maritime nation, Malaysia continues to uphold the principle of innocent passage, in line with its obligations as a State Party to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which Malaysia ratified on Oct 14, 1996.
The MOT added that the government will continue to strengthen cooperation among domestic agencies and enhance information sharing with international maritime organizations to ensure that Malaysian waters and ports are not exploited by vessels attempting to evade sanctions through flag hopping, ship identity fraud, or changes in ownership structure.
