Divers: Ship ran aground in shallow water

Testing their luck: The

GEORGE TOWN: The Xin Yi Yi keeled over after it ran aground.

Divers who sized up the situation said the depth at which the ship was lying was so shallow that it could not remain upright.

One of the divers said the hull was not broken. The ship simply keeled over when it ran into the remains of a shipwreck nicknamed Kapal Simen.

The diver said the task was now to seal the openings of the lower decks and then pump water out of the ship.

“We are waiting for airbags to help lift the ship off the sea bed for it to be towed into deeper water, so that it can right itself again,” he said.

The salvaging works are being conducted about 4km from the coast – between Pulau Kendi and Pulau Rimau.

Several fishing boats were seen lowering baited lines and fishing nets close to Xin Yi Yi, hoping that the ship would attract fish like a reef. They caught nothing.

The depth of the sea where Xin Yi Yi is lying is about 6m.