"We arrested the man after he was handed over to us," said an official at the Klang police station, west of Kuala Lumpur. The official declined to elaborate or give his name, saying he is not authorized to speak to the media.
The killing took place in international waters Tuesday while the MV Theodore Storm was sailing to Malaysia from Australia, the New Sunday Times newspaper said, citing unidentified crewmembers.
Several crewmembers heard a heated argument in the vessels smoking room and shortly after found the 39-year-old second engineer, only identified as Sharonov, sprawled unconscious on the floor and bleeding heavily, the report said.
The 38-year-old Filipino suspect, whose name was not given, was handed over to police Saturday afternoon after the vessel berthed at Port Klang, it said.