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PETALING JAYA: A parliamentarian criticized the Penang port authorities and the state government after an Iranian ship illegally docked at the Butterworth container terminal.
Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim said the arrival of the Iranian tugboat Fire Man was a serious national security matter.
“How can the authorities ignore that this foreign ship has docked at Butterworth without permission? Imagine what would happen if the ship carried ‘terrorists’ on board or the members of its crew were positive cases of Covid-19 or were carriers of other diseases ”. it said in a statement.
The tugboat was reported to have docked at the North Butterworth container terminal last week without authorization from port authorities. The crew was reported to have run out of food and money and the tug had run out of fuel. Two members of the crew were taken to the hospital for treatment.
The Star reported tonight that the ship had been moved to the Prai pier and was preparing for departure.
Sim accused the Penang Port Commission of having “clearly neglected its duties in maintaining the port and the well-being of the Penang people.” He urged the president of the PPC, Tan Teik Cheng, to resign.
The commission regulates matters related to the port of Penang. However, the port operations are managed by Penang Port Sdn Bhd, a company that is part of the publicly traded MMC group.
