Be vigilant during monsoon season, MMEA reminds fishermen

JOHOR BARU: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has issued a reminder to the public – fishermen and seamen in particular – to be vigilant on the open sea during the current monsoon season.

This comes after a vessel with four Indonesian nationals was found drifting in the Melaka Straits for 24 hours before they were rescued.

Johor MMEA director First Admiral (Maritime) Aminuddin Abdul Rashid said the agency received a report about four missing Indonesian crewmen at around 11am on Tuesday (Dec 10) and a search and rescue operation was launched immediately.

"The vessel, together with another cargo boat, left Dumai in Indonesia at around 6am Malaysian time on Monday (Dec 9) heading towards Muar.

"However, communication was lost at around 3pm after it experienced bad weather and was hit by huge waves," he said.

Aminuddin said MMEA mobilised its radar system and assets from the Batu Pahat maritime zone to look for the vessel.

"Based on information given to us, the missing crewmen, including its captain, are between the ages 34 and 54," he said adding that the police and Marine Department also joined in the search and rescue operation.

He added that MMEA worked closely with their Indonesian counterparts to search for the missing boat.

However, he said that MMEA was notified by their Indonesian counterparts at around 6pm on Tuesday (Dec 10) that the boat had been found.

"They were rescued by a passing vessel 5.3 nautical miles east of Pulau Rupat in Indonesian waters," he said, adding that the crewmen were wearing lifejackets when found.

He urged the public and the maritime community to always remain vigilant and aware of weather conditions at sea.

Those who face or encounter any emergencies at sea in the Johor waters are requested to call the Johor Maritime Operation centre at 07-219 9404 or MERS hotline 999.