Sabah MMEA activated six SAR mission this month alone

 By Olivia Miwil - January 18, 2021 @ 5:08pm

MMEA director Datuk Mohd Rosli Abdullah said the Maritime Rescue Sub Centre (MRSC) was informed of an incident involving a fibreglass boat with two fishermen on board off Kuala Abai in Kota Belud about noon today. - Photo courtesy of APMM.

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah and Labuan Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) was today called into action on a search and rescue (SAR) mission – the sixth this month alone.

Its director Datuk Mohd Rosli Abdullah said the Maritime Rescue Sub Centre (MRSC) was informed of an incident involving a fibreglass boat with two fishermen on board off Kuala Abai in Kota Belud about noon today.

He said one fisherman has been rescued but the other is still missing.

Rosli said the five other SAR missions involved one in Karambunai waters here, three in Sandakan and another one in Semporna. One of the SAR missions in Sandakan is still ongoing as there are still victims who have yet to be found and the bad weather made the ongoing mission difficult.

"Most of the capsized boat incidents were due to the bad weather and choppy sea. According to the Malaysian Meteorological Department, the strong winds and choppy seas are expected to continue until Jan 20.

"Such conditions cause the wind speeds to reach up to 60 kph and the waves up to 4.5m, especially in the west coast of Sabah and Labuan," he said in a statement.

Rosli reminded the maritime community, especially fishermen and workers in the shipping industry, to be alert with the current weather conditions to prevent any unwanted incidents.

He also said, when out at sea, they should wear life jackets and other safety devices such as personal locator beacons, as well as ensure their boats and ships are in good condition.