KUANTAN, Feb 15 — The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) recorded RM101.9 million worth of seizures and 1,200 arrests for various offences last year.

Its director-general Maritime Admiral Datuk Hamid Mohd Amin said that the success was a result of 181,000 inspections and 43,000 searches carried out by the agency through continuous operations.

"The agency has been entrusted to guard the country’s waters and we will ensure that the people feel safe when they are in the Malaysian Maritime Zone (MMZ) which is in the Straits of Melaka, South China Sea, Sulu Sea and Sulawesi Sea.

"These waters of ours have many important resources such as oil, natural gas and fisheries and with our existence patrolling all the time ensures well-being to the people as well as the confidence of tourists to come,” he said.

He said this when met by reporters after the MMEA 19th anniversary celebration at the Sultan Ahmad Shah Maritime Academy (AMSAS) here today which was officiated by Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Shamsul Anuar Nasarah.

Commenting further, Hamid said the agency also focused on search and rescue operations, curbing the entry of undocumented migrants and the theft of old warship wrecks in national waters, in cooperation with various other enforcement agencies.

For search and rescue operations, MMEA carried out a total of 237 operations involving various incidents at sea last year with 1,369 victims rescued.

In strengthening enforcement efforts, he said that the agency will receive new assets, namely four Agusta Westland 189 helicopters and two more Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) after receiving OPV1 which is currently stationed in Sarawak waters.

"With OPVs, we can control waters up to 200 nautical miles and this makes it easier for us to carry out our responsibility of monitoring the country’s waters,” he said. — Bernama