JOHOR BARU: The Gabon-registered oil tanker, which was engulfed in flames near Tanjung Sedili waters, is still unsafe for Malaysian authorities to board.
Johor Maritime director First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria (pic) said this comes after a decision made by the Fire and Rescue Department's hazardous materials (hazmat) unit and Marine Department.
“The hazmat and Marine Department have assessed the safety of the vessel MT Pablo by air on Wednesday (May 3) morning and it is found to be unsafe to board,” he said in a statement here on Wednesday.
On the vessel’s three missing crewmen, Nurul Hizam said they have yet to be found by the search and rescue team.
“The search area has been widened to 71 nautical miles and divided into seven sectors that cover 371sq nautical miles.
“It involves air assets together with two patrol boats, two ships and a Navy boat, a marine police patrol boat and two ships from the Marine Department,” he added.
On Monday (May 1), the vessel, which was on its way from China to Singapore, caught fire some 60km northeast of Tanjung Sedili near Kota Tinggi.
The ship carried 28 crewmembers of various nationalities, including from India, Ukraine, Russia and Pakistan.
The three missing crewmen are Indian nationals Satyam Tripathi, 26, and Dinesh Kumar Chauhan, 34, and Ukrainian, Sabit Shenderovsky, 37.
