Govt expands Sabah sea surveillance system to plug maritime monitoring gaps

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 —  The government has approved the expansion of the Sabah Sea Surveillance System (Swasla) under Phase Two to cover Malawali Island and Sandakan, in a move to enhance the country’s maritime surveillance capabilities, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said the project was approved under the First Rolling Plan of the 13th Malaysia Plan for 2026 to address gaps in maritime surveillance coverage across Malaysian waters, with the tender process expected to begin by year-end.

He said the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) currently operates 15 Remote Sensored Site (RSS) radar stations under Swasla, comprising 12 along the Strait of Melaka and three off Sabah’s west coast.

“All 15 MMEA RSS stations operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing continuous surveillance within their respective coverage areas,” he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad (BN-Simpang Renggam) on early detection systems using radar, drones and satellites, round-the-clock surveillance coverage, smuggling syndicates dismantled and gaps in MMEA’s capabilities.

However, Shamsul Anuar said the radar stations’ continuous operation did not provide complete surveillance coverage of Malaysian waters, with MMEA deploying ships and boats to patrol areas beyond the system’s coverage.

He said funding for SWASLA development in Sarawak was approved under the Fourth Rolling Plan of the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) for 2024, while the proposed study on the system was still awaiting feedback from the Economy Ministry.

Shamsul Anuar said the government had also approved a study on SWASLA development along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia under the Fourth Rolling Plan of the 12MP, with the tender process for the study to begin soon.

To strengthen maritime surveillance, he said the Home Ministry (KDN), through MMEA, was shifting from a “detect-and-act” approach to a more integrated system based on early detection, target identification and rapid response.

He said the approach involved expanding radar coverage, deploying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), modernising assets and improving the integration of operational information, as well as procuring two UAV-equipped vessels to strengthen aerial surveillance capabilities.

Shamsul Anuar said MMEA has yet to acquire a dedicated satellite for continuous maritime surveillance, with existing satellite technology mainly used to support search and rescue (SAR) operations.

He said MMEA recorded 834 smuggling cases involving seizures worth RM257.55 million from 2020 to August this year.

However, he stressed that enforcement effectiveness was not measured solely by the number of seizures.

Instead, the government was focusing on dismantling the entire smuggling chain through detection, investigation, seizures, prosecution and intelligence sharing, while also targeting logistics networks and those supporting such activities, he said.

“Among the gaps in MMEA’s asset capabilities that still need to be addressed are incomplete surveillance coverage, the need for additional UAVs and aerial assets for continuous monitoring, long-range vessels, high-speed interception assets and a C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) system.

“The government is gradually addressing these gaps by expanding the Swasla network, procuring strategic assets and implementing programmes to modernise MMEA’s operational vessels and boats,” he said.

Responding to a supplementary question from Hasni on the detention and deportation of migrants entering Malaysian waters illegally, Shamsul Anuar said MMEA does not have its own detention centres but only lock-up facilities to hold suspects for remand and investigation purposes.

He said those sentenced would be transferred to the relevant authorities for placement in detention centres. — Bernama