Close call: The 10 crew members on board the cargo ship who were saved. — Photo courtesy of Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency
PETALING JAYA: A rescue operation at sea saved 10 crew members from a sinking cargo ship near Tanjung Rhu, says the Selangor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).
The crew members had faced a leak that could not be fixed, said Selangor MMEA director Capt Abdul Muhaimin Muhammad Salleh.
He said the rescue operation took place at 3.35am yesterday at 2.1 nautical miles west of Tanjung Rhu.
The vessel, MV Kum Jin, was leaking from the front side of its left ballast tank.
“A Perkasa 36 boat was mobilised to the scene amid bad weather. At the scene, the MV Kum Jin was already not in a stable condition.
“The crew members and captain were in the midst of getting into a lifeboat,” he said in a statement.
He said the MMEA eventually brought them to the marine police jetty in Pulau Indah for medical checks and further action.
The ship’s captain, he said, was a 53-year-old Indonesian, while the crew members, aged between 19 and 50, were from Indonesia and Myanmar.
“All had valid travel documents,” he said.
In an unrelated case that happened on Sunday afternoon, the Selangor MMEA stopped a transport boat after it was found to be overcrowded.
Capt Abdul Muhaimin said the boat was detected around 0.3 nautical miles south of Tanjung Harapan.It was en route to Pulau Ketam at the time.
“Inspections showed that the vessel had been carrying 45 passengers, which is over the stipulated capacity. They were not wearing life jackets.
“The boat was being helmed by two crew members aged 19 and 40,” he said.
Passengers were brought to the Pulau Ketam jetty, while the two crew members were escorted to the marine police jetty in Pulau Indah for further investigation.The case is being investigated under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 for violating the terms of the licence by bringing more than the limit of 11 passengers and for not wearing life jackets.
