Ismaili showing MMEA’s reports of its operations in Sarawak.
KUCHING: Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sarawak needs two landing crafts and two helicopters in order to monitor effectively the state’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) that spans 200 nautical miles.
Its region director, First Admiral Ismaili Bujang Pit, said with enough assets, his men could even operate like coast guards in developed countries because many of its top officers received their training in countries like the United States of America, Australia and Japan.
He told The Borneo Post in his office at Muara Tebas MMEA complex here yesterday that request had been submitted to the federal government for the landing crafts and helicopters.
Currently, his office has 33 vessels, but only 16 of them are still operational while the rest are obsolete—a few of them are more than 40 years old—and thus cannot be relied upon.
“We made our request (for more assets) when briefing Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas recently,” he said.
“In addition, we are requesting the federal government to give us two landing crafts and two helicopters so that we can carry out our duties more effectively in looking after our vast EEZ.”
The state’s EEZ spanned 239,605 sq. km, and to keep outside forces and illegal fishing vessels at bay, MMEA Sarawak needed to be properly equipped and personnel well trained, he said.
On the landing crafts and helicopters, he said having two landing crafts would enable the agency to deploy smaller vessels to the deep sea.
“The landing crafts would also provide shelter and logistics at sea from two weeks to a month,” he said.
“With helicopters, we will have eyes in the sky to gather evidence in encroachment cases.”
Ismaili added that at least six vessels were put on duty every single day.
“Our constraint is that only 16 of our vessels can be used. That is why we need more vessels. If all our vessels are operational, then we have no problems.”
Ismaili said the landing crafts could be made locally as many shipbuilders, especially those in Sibu, could make them to MMEA’s specifications.
“We prefer landing crafts because we can mobilise them wherever they are needed. In addition, they can also act as mother ships and provide shelter to our men. It will also provide logistics to our smaller vessels as it would be able to carry at least 500,000 litres of fuel.”
Ismaili revealed that the federal government was getting more crafts, so hopefully MMEA Sarawak will get one patrol class vessel by the end of this year.
“Hopefully, in the next few years, we will have an offshore patrol vessel (OPV).”
Ismaili, who hails from Kampung Gedong in Simunjan, said his men could operate like coast guards if properly equipped.
“In fact, we are at par with many coast guards in other developed countries,” said Ismaili, adding that as far as manpower was concerned, Sarawak MMEA had sufficient number.
Meanwhile, when contacted, Uggah said Sarawak MMEA’s request had been forwarded by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak during their recent meeting in Putrajaya.
“We hope these assets could be acquired soon so that MMEA Sarawak can discharge their duties more effectively.
“Nevertheless, we also hope the agency will continue to carry out their duties effectively to safeguard and protect our waters.”