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THE big question: How can a 145-ft (44m) high-tech megayacht get into trouble with Indonesian immigration?

That's apparently what the Sea Shaw did. It's owned by the son of Runme Shaw of Shaw Brothers.

As a result, Mr Shaw Vee King, his six high-profile companions and 11 crew members are being held at a naval base in West Kalimantan.

Mr Shaw, 63, is the managing director of film distributor Shaw Organisation.

While it is not clear exactly how long they have been held, the Sea Shaw was believed to have been due to return to Singapore on 4 Jun, after a scuba-diving trip.

The vessel was stopped off Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan, and detained for allegedlynot following proper immigration procedures.

Indonesian authorities have apparently asked for a fine to be paid before they can be released. A check with Pontianak police and the local press there shed no light on the current situation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was aware of the situation and, together with the Singapore consulate in Pekanbaru, was in touch with those on board and providing assistance.

But the Sea Shaw is no fishing boat that might accidentally drift into territorial waters.

It's a luxurious, all-fibreglass work of art with six guest rooms, excluding crew bunks. Besides a dining room and saloon, there's also a large entertainment centre on board.

According to a review by Boats.com, the craft has an 'incredible array of electronic equipment' including a sonar that sweeps for obstructions, and satellite communications.

How then could this Starship Enterprise of a yacht get into a fix like that?

Mr Peter Lim, a veteran sailor, said it was highly improbable that the yacht had accidentally entered Indonesian waters, or had forgotten to clear immigration.

'It should not happen, especially with a large mega-yacht. It would have GPS (global positioning system), which means you know exactly where you are, and where the borders are.

CHARTS

'There are charts on board, and in a high-tech boat the charts are electronic... Immigration points are charted, and sailors know they are obliged to go and get their passports processed,' said Mr Lim.

He said that when a boat leaves Singapore, it has to apply for port clearance, and another application has to be made for a cruising permit if the boat plans to stop in foreign waters.

'There's also something called the right of innocent passage from one port to another, for example, from Singapore to Sabah.

'The boat may pass through Malaysian or Indonesian waters, but if they don't stop to fish, dive, snorkel or drop anchor for the night, they don't need to clear immigration.'

The Sea Shaw had apparently been on a scuba-diving outing, but it's not clear whether the diving site was off Pontianak, where it was stopped.

Mr Lim added that border authorities would usually stop a boat if it did not have a cruise permit, or had entered the country's waters without clearing immigration.

'Other possibilities are that there was an engine breakdown and the craft couldn't be controlled, which led it to drift, or if the water was too deep for the craft to anchor.'

Mr Edward Yow, the general manager of Changi Sailing Club, said that while a boat's owner can ask for club assistance in applying for the various permits, 'it is ultimately the responsibility of the owner to see it gets done'.

'When a yacht leaves port (Singapore), they are on their own.'

Most sailing hobbyists The New Paper spoke to had not been to the area where the Sea Shaw was detained because it's too far away for an average yacht to reach for a weekend trip.

But it's no problem for the Sea Shaw, which reaches a top speed of 22.5knots (41kmh) and can cover about 650km in a day.

The straight-line distance between Singapore and Pontianak is about 630km.

SHAWS IN THE NEWS

The Shaw brothers and their descendents are known to be private people who avoid the limelight.

However, the family was hit by kidnap attempts and a tragic death over the years.

Ms Shaw Soo Ling, 29-year-old daughter of Harold Shaw, drowned in 1998 off West Kalimantan during a diving trip. Her Dutch friend, Phillip Lemette, 31, also died in the accident.

Her father, the youngest son of SirRun Run Shaw, was himself nearly kidnapped in 1971. He was then 32. A four-man gang grabbed him as he was driving out of his house in Andrew Road and tried to push him into the boot of a taxi.

Mr Shaw escaped, but was shot in the right arm during the struggle.

His elder brother, Vee Meng, was also kidnapped in 1964, after four men blocked his car with their van along the same road.

The elder Mr Shaw had also just left his house when the armed men grabbed him and his driver.

He was held captive for 12 days as the kidnappers demanded a HK$2million (then $500,000) ransom. Mr Shaw and his driver were released unharmed even though the ransom was not paid.

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