MMEA rescues five fishermen after boat capsizes near Tanjung Lompat

KOTA TINGGI: Five fishermen have been rescued by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) after their boat capsized near Tanjung Lompat here.

Johor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria said that the boat capsized some 5.3 nautical miles East of Tanjung Lompat at about 5.30am on Friday (Dec 16).

“The Johor Baru Maritime Rescue Sub Centre (MRSC) received a call from the MT Atlantica Breeze ship about a drifting fisherman boat that hit their ship.

“Upon receiving the information, two MMEA boats were deployed to the scene and found that the incident was caused by some damage to the engine.

“The bad weather caused the boat to drift and hit the MT Atlantica Breeze ship that was anchoring in the area,” he said in a statement here on Saturday (Dec 17).

He added that the collision with the ship caused the boat to leak and later capsize.

“All five crewmen, including the boat captain, jumped into the sea. They received initial assistance from a tanker ship and other fishermen in the area.

“All five victims are Indonesians between the ages of 30 and 43 years old,” he said, adding that all of them have valid permits and travel documents.

Nurul Hizam added that two of the victims have been sent to the Tanjung Sedili health clinic for treatment as they suffered some light injuries.

“We would like to thank all of those who have given such swift assistance.

“We also urge the public, especially the maritime community to always be on the alert with the weather,” he said.