PM praises MMEA for keeping Melaka Strait almost pirate-free
Bernama
March 15, 2017 15:51 MYT
March 15, 2017 15:51 MYT
After the MMEA went into operation in that year, it had focused diligently on combating robberies committed against merchant ships in the strait. - File pic
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today gave the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency a pat on the back for having kept the Strait of Melaka, the world's busiest waterway, almost free of pirates since 2006.
After the MMEA went into operation in that year, it had focused diligently on combating robberies committed against merchant ships in the strait, he said.
"As a result, no robberies have been reported in the Strait of Melaka since 2009 except for two in 2011 and the siphoning of diesel in 2014 and 2015," he said in his speech at the naming of the first new-generation patrol craft of the MMEA here.
The vessel, named KM Bagan Datuk, was launched by Najib's wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.
Najib said police statistics for year 2000 showed that 57 robberies occurred in the country's waters, including the Strait of Melaka, involving merchant ships and fishing boats. - BERNAMA