Malaysian maritime authorities have detained a Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) container vessel for allegedly anchoring without official permission in the Malacca Strait, a serious violation under the country’s maritime laws.
The incident occurred on May 16, 2025, when Malaysia’s Area Control Centre identified what it described as a “suspicious vessel” anchored approximately 22.5 nautical miles southwest of Sekinchan, a coastal town north of Kuala Lumpur. The ship was later identified as the MSC Olia, a 48,186 dwt Liberia-flagged containership with a capacity of 3,760 TEU.
After tracking the vessel’s movements, Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) dispatched a patrol boat, which boarded the ship and discovered that the captain had failed to present documents granting anchoring permission in Malaysian waters. As a result, the 44-year-old Russian captain and the ship’s second engineer were taken ashore to the Selangor State Maritime headquarters for further investigation.
Malaysia’s maritime laws stipulate that violators of anchoring regulations could face up to $23,000 in fines, two years in prison, or both.
While the 23-member multinational crew aboard the vessel reportedly had valid identification documents, authorities are emphasizing the seriousness of unauthorized anchoring, especially in high-security zones like the Malacca Strait, which are known hotspots for illegal transfers and maritime crimes.
The MSC Olia, built in 2007 and acquired by MSC in 2021, was en route from Jakarta to Singapore, scheduled to arrive on May 17. It is now docked at Port Klang.
The incident adds to a growing list of vessel detentions in Southeast Asian waters, where countries like Malaysia and Indonesia maintain strict enforcement protocols to combat illegal maritime activities, including unauthorized anchoring and ship-to-ship transfers.
No additional comments have been made by MSC or Malaysian authorities as of now.
