Two oil tankers have been seized and the Indonesian and Burmese crew arrested after illegally entering Malaysian waters and transferring oil from one to the other, marine police said yesterday.

Marine police on Friday evening detained the Homa and Golden Star after they were spotted about three nautical miles off the east coast of Johor.

Both tankers are Indonesian and registered in Honduras.

The 199-tonne MT Homa was transferring 5,000 litres of oil to the 118-tonne Golden Star when it was caught, said Salim Ibrahim, assistant marine police superintendent for Johor's eastern coastal region.

"These tankers were transferring oil from one ship to another. This site-to-site transfer is prohibited without the clearance of customs," Salim told AFP.

"They also came into our waters without any documents or permission from our marine department," he said.

Tankers held in Johor port

Four Indonesians and one Burmese were arrested from the Homa and one Indonesian and two Burmese from the Golden Star. All have been detained at a local police station, Salim said.

He said the tankers were being held at a Johor port, while the crew are being investigated and could be charged under customs and shipping laws.

Salim said police were also investigating if the oil had been smuggled.