TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Malaysia to use drones to secure maritime security

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) will use drones as eyes in the sky to fight crime, smuggling and intrusion at sea

The Jakarta Post
Putrajaya
Wed, February 5, 2014

Share This Article

Change Size

Malaysia to use drones to secure maritime security

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) will use drones as eyes in the sky to fight crime, smuggling and intrusion at sea.

The agency'€™s director-general Maritime Admiral Mohd Amdan Kurish said the agency expected to rely on fixed-wing and rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as part of its strategy.

'€œWe are still in the planning stages, but the UAV is the way forward for MMEA to ensure better surveillance of local waters.'€

MMEA had five regions of jurisdiction nationwide, involving 4,492km of coast line where sea surveillance using ships was no longer sufficient, he said.

'€œWe want to improve our operational efforts by using drones.

'€œWe can further secure our borders, especially sea routes, with the drones,'€ he said, adding that MMEA hoped to acquire the aircraft by 2020.

Mohd Amdan said criminals, especially cigarette smugglers, were becoming increasingly crafty and the agency needed to be ready to face such challenges.

'€œCigarette smugglers will use a particular boat filled with contraband cigarettes as a decoy to lure authorities, allowing a group of boats with much more cargo to slip through.'€

Mohd Amdan said with Malaysia being used as a transit point for human smuggling, the smugglers were known to avoid arousing suspicion by using smaller fishing boats with fewer passengers to slip past the authorities.

'€œThese smaller boats will then rendezvous with a larger ship that will then take a big '€˜load'€™ of people to neighbouring countries.

'€œEach illegal immigrant is charged about US$200 for their trip,'€ he said.

Despite being low in logistical capabilities, Mohd Amdan vowed that the agency would give its all to improve the security of Malaysian waters as well as mount successful search and rescue operations.

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.