KUANTAN, Aug 10 — Four Indonesian fishermen crew members were rescued after their ship KM Samudra Jaya Kelautan sank in Malaysian waters while en route from Tarempa to Batam, Indonesia on August 2.
Pahang Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director First Admiral (Maritime) Mazlan Mat Rejab said that all the crew members, aged between 40 and 65, were rescued by a local fishing vessel (VNT) from Pahang that was passing through the incident area the day before yesterday.
He said the VNT then took all the victims to the Kuantan Malaysian Fisheries Development Authority (LKIM) Jetty at around 5.30am on August 8.
“The ship was reported to have faced turbulent sea conditions and strong waves that caused engine damage before drifting for six days and eventually sinking in Malaysian waters while on its voyage from Tarempa to Batam,” he said in a statement today.
In the meantime, he said the Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre (MRSC) in Kuantan received information regarding the loss of the fishing vessel from Natuna BASARNAS on August 4, before the official information about the incident was received around 8.30pm on August 7.
Meanwhile, Mazlan said the four fishermen involved have been handed over to the Consulate of the Republic of Indonesia (KRI) today for further proceedings.
He said that his team also expressed appreciation to the local fishing community, especially the VNT crew, for their swift action and concern in helping to rescue all the Indonesian crew members. — Bernama
