MISSING ANGLERS FOUND
They swam nearly 10 hours alongside makeshift raft before reaching shore safely
AMAKESHIFT raft, made by tying 12 lifebuoys and planks together, helped six men make it safely to Pulau Mantanani Kecil after their fishing boat malfunctioned in the waters off the west coast of Sabah.
They swam for almost 10 hours before reaching the island yesterday.
Skipper Abdul Si Misil and crew member Rubi Akpara, both in their 50s, were placed on the raft as they could not swim, while four other crew members, aged between 28 and 35, swam alongside the raft.
Abdul, who had worked as a contractor, said this was his third fishing trip.
“We had not eaten since the day before. Our last food stock fell into the sea when the vessel was hit by waves, together with the saucepan. However, we had half of our water supply in a drum when we swam to shore.
“We started swimming at 8am and reached the shore at 7pm,” he said at the district Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) office here.
MMEA picked up the six men at 10.30pm after being alerted by Mantanani Remote Sensor Site security personnel.
Another crew member, Nordin Majiki, 38, was found at 2.20pm on Thursday by MMEA personnel about 9km from the island. Two crew members are still missing.
Asked if he would consider going back to sea again, Abdul said he would prefer to find a job on land as he could not swim.
District maritime director First Admiral Adam Aziz said the men had left Pulau Gaya on Sunday and were heading to Pulau Mengalum waters when their boat’s engine stopped working.
After drifting for days, on Wednesday, boat owner Iman Dimas Tampas , Nordin and another crew member named Moso, decided to use a smaller boat to reach an oil rig vessel, called Kapal Nur Amanah.
But, the crew of Kapal Nur Amanah could not provide help due to bad weather. Instead, they contacted MMEA, which immediately mounted a search-andrescue operation.
“The three on the smaller boat decided to paddle in the direction of Pulau Gaya but the boat capsized. MMEA found Nordin drifting on a log. He was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1 for treatment and was reported to be in a stable condition. The search continues for Iman and Moso ,” Adam said.
He said the SAR team had requested for oil company Petronas’s assistance to tow the fishing boat to the South Furious oil rig and dock it there.
“I would like to remind that fishermen and boat operators must have life jackets and communication devices to reach us.
“They must ensure that their boat is seaworthy and during such challenging weather, they must be accompanied by another boat so that they can get help if something happens.
“Strong winds and choppy seas at Sabah’s east coast and Labuan waters have been forecast until Sunday (tomorrow). This is dangerous for fishing boats and tourist vessels alike,” he said, adding that boat operators should avoid going out during rough seas.”