JOHOR BARU, Oct 11 — A skipper and three crew members were rescued by the Johor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) today after their fishing boat capsized due to being hit by a merchant ship late last night.

Goh Cheng Ho (skipper), 53, Abdul Rahman Chia Abdullah, 55, Abd Rashid Salamat, 22, and Johari Utoh, 38, kept themselves afloat in the Muar waters for six hours before being rescued by a Johor MMEA team about 11am, said its director, First Admiral (Maritime) Nurul Hizam Zakaria in a statement today.

He said the agency received a call at 9am from another merchant ship travelling in the Muar waters on an incident of individuals falling into the sea at 6.8 nautical miles southwest of Sungai Batu Pahat.

Upon receiving the information, Nurul Hizam said, a boat from the Batu Pahat Maritime Zone was deployed to the said location to rescue the fishermen who were brought to the Batu Pahat MMEA jetty and then to Sultanah Nora Ismail Hospital for a check-up.

Nurul Hizam advised the public to always be cautious when conducting activities at sea, especially during the ongoing monsoon season.

He said in case of an emergency, the public could contact the Johor Maritime Operations Centre’s 24-hour hotline 07-219 9404 or MERS line 999. — Bernama