KUCHING, Sept 10 — The MV Sah Lian vessel which was reported missing on September 7 while on its way from Kuching to Limbang, was found about 26 nautical miles from Tanjung Baram, Miri, this afternoon.

Sarawak Region Five Marine Police commander ACP N Kalai Chelvan confirmed that the vessel which was found at 4.40pm had experienced engine failure and drifted into the waters of Miri.

He said marine police had contacted the captain of the ship, who said that all crew on board were safe and waiting for repair assistance from the company.

“They do not need any other assistance, and the ship will be towed directly to Limbang since they are concerned that the cargo would be spoilt,” he said in a statement today.

According to him, the sea condition in the area where the vessel was located was somewhat hazy, with visibility of about just 2 nautical miles.

Meanwhile, Sarawak Maritime Enforcement chief First Maritime Admiral Ismaili Bujang Pit in a press conference at the Sarawak MMEA headquarters in Muara Tebas here this afternoon said the owner of the vessel had informed that the company was contacted by another cargo ship which had spotted Sah Lian at 10.45pm, yesterday.

However, he said the owner only informed MMEA about at 10.45am this morning, and said the company had already sent its assets to track the ship.

According to Ismaili, upon receiving the report on the missing vessel on Monday, MMEA had deployed all its assets operating in the maritime area of Kuching, Bintulu and Miri to locate it, with the assistance of a C-130 aircraft from the Royal Malaysian Air Force based in Labuan.

He said according to the shipping company’s manager, the last time MV Sah Lian’s captain Iskandar Haryanto could be contacted was on September 2, while the ship was in the waters of Tanjung Sirik.

The ship departed from Kuching on September 2 and was scheduled to arrive in Limbang on September 5.

Ismaili said the vessel which was operated by a captain and 13 crew members, is worth around RM1.5 million.

According to him, the captain of the ship was from Indonesia, while its crew comprised five Myanmar nationals, four Indian citizens, three locals, and an Indonesian. — Bernama