Crew or sailors of foreign ships allowed to enter Malaysia

The government has no objection for the crew or sailors from overseas returning to service but shipping companies must comply with the standard operating procedure (SOP).

Senior Minister (Security Cluster), Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, said they were not allowed to roam the country but the crew or sailors arriving in the country should straight away be brought to their ships.

"So, no issue we are not allowing it, in fact we have allowed this for a long time. Besides, sailors need to have a 'seaman book' passport that is not issued by us (the government).

"Normally those working as sailors would be in their ships and never come ashore. So there are no issues with the permission, and we have never blocked them," he said in a press conference here today.

He said the government had also given the foreign sailors permission to return to their respective countries through Malaysia.

"Their ships are anchored in our ports, they only need to board the car and head straight to the airport.

"We do not allow them to stay in hotels, to roam or to shop before returning home," he added.