MERSING: Police are investigating whether the operators of two passenger boats involved in a collision here complied with licensing requirements and standard operating procedures (SOPs) after the incident claimed two lives on Monday (Aug 31) night.
Johor police chief Comm Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said investigators would also check whether both operators had valid permits to carry passengers and whether they adhered to the stipulated operating hours for boats in the waters.
“Besides obtaining statements from the survivors to assist in the investigation, we will also record statements from various parties, including the rescue teams and those who first arrived at the scene.
“We will also seek assistance from the Chemistry Department to help determine the impact of the incident,” he said after inspecting the boats involved at Kampung Pangkalan Batu here on Tuesday (Sept 1).
Comm Ab Rahaman however added that he could not officially confirm yet whether both boats had valid permits or licences to carry passengers.
He said police were alerted to the incident at about 8.15pm on Monday (Aug 31), with the collision occurring about 800m from the Sungai Mersing jetty.
The two boats involved were the Sea Queen, which was returning from Pulau Besar, and Rawa Birds, which had just departed from the jetty for Pulau Rawa.
He said the Sea Queen was carrying six people while three people were aboard Rawa Birds when the collision occurred at the river mouth.
“The impact was severe, resulting in the death of the 38-year-old Sea Queen boat operator and a 32-year-old local male passenger at the scene. Both suffered serious injuries,” he said.
Comm Ab Rahaman said seven other victims were injured, with three receiving treatment at Mersing Hospital, three at Sultan Ismail Hospital and one at Pasir Gudang Hospital.
He added that most of the passengers aboard the Sea Queen suffered more serious injuries compared with those on the other boat.
Police are investigating the case under Section 304A of the Penal Code for causing death by negligence and Section 280 of the same law for negligently navigating or operating a vessel.
A sudden death report (SDR) has also been classified.
Comm Ab Rahaman said investigators were also looking into whether the operators had complied with all conditions attached to their licences and the relevant safety regulations.
“The incident is still at an early stage, so give us time to complete the investigation. We are looking into whether the SOPs and regulations stipulated under the licence conditions were followed.
“I have yet to examine the specific conditions and therefore cannot make any further statement at this point,” he added.
