The KLM Jaya Makmur 88 at Pulau Pemanggil, Johor. Its began having engine problems on Aug 12, then drifted over 200km to Pulau Pemanggil from Indonesia.
MERSING: Four Indonesian crewmen made the tough decision to abandon ship after an engine failure caused their vessel to drift at sea for days.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Mersing zone director Maritime Commander Suhaizan Saadin said their vessel KLM Jaya Makmur 88 began experiencing failure in the main engine and began drifting at around 6pm last Saturday (Aug 12).
"After two days of drifting in rolling seas and facing rough weather conditions the four crew members, Suhandri, 22, Agus Mustafa, 25, Darman, 42, and Murhairi, 57, decided to make an escape on Monday (Aug 14).
"They were also without any aid and access to a communication system," he said in a statement on Wednesday (Aug 16).
MMEA came to know about the incident after receiving a report about a drifting vessel at four nautical miles (about 7km) west of Pulau Pemanggil, Pahang near here.
The four Indonesian seaman after their rescue from Pulau Pemanggil, Johor.
"It turned out that the vessel, carrying general cargo of basic food items, had drifted all the way from Tanjung Pinang, Indonesia.
"At the same time, residents of Pulau Pemanggil also lodged a police report about four unknown men stranded on the island’s shore.
"Investigations revealed that they escaped from the vessel as they feared for the worst," he said.
Suhaizan added that the men drifted with their vessel for about 110 nautical miles (about 203km) until they reached the island.
All the victims were safe and had been sent back to Tanjung Pinang after completing the documentation process at the Indonesian embassy. The vessel’s engine was also repaired, he added.
He thanked the maritime community and islanders for being alert and for channelling information to the authorities quickly to assist the victims.
Those with maritime emergencies or complaints are encouraged to call the Johor maritime operations centre hotline at 07-2199 404 or MERS999 for assistance.
