MMEA leads air surveillance coordination in maritime zone: Zahid

PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has been appointed the lead agency for the coordination of air surveillance activities in the maritime area of the country, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He said the appointment was agreed to at a meeting of the High-Level Committee on the Coordination in the Utilisation of Air Assets of Government Agencies which he chaired at Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
"The appointment of MMEA is based on the responsibility of the agency in maintaining peace in the maritime zone of Malaysia as set out in the MMEA Act 2004 (Act 633)," he said in a statement issued today on the meeting.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Home Minister, said MMEA aircraft were also registered under the Directorate General Technical Airworthiness (DGTA) regulations which provide for every aircraft to fly freely at the required height by having the configuration and specification of operational requirements, particularly for search and rescue.
He stressed that the government always ensured that the sovereignty and security of the maritime zone and airspace of the country were always protected and safeguarded.

As such, he said, the effectiveness of aerial surveillance activities over the country's waters must be stepped up through the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS) concept where the strength of the existing assets of the government agencies could be collaborated collectively, including in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone) and specific areas in Sarawak.
He also said that the government hoped that the coordination of the utilisation of air assets implemented through the HLC meeting platform would enhance public confidence in the capability and level of preparedness of air assets in the security control operations in the country's waters and airspace. — Bernama