Seven rescued from capsized ship

SANDAKAN: The swift action of a cargo ship captain in contacting the authorities for help led to the rescue of all seven crew members of the sinking vessel in the waters of Segama Reefs on Sunday.

In the incident at about 2 pm, captain of Mermaid Challenger cargo ship, Bill Odong, 50 said he contacted the authorities via a radio call after realising water had entered the ship which was carrying four containers,

“After receiving a response from the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) that assistance would arrive, I instructed my six crew members to lower the safety raft and board it.

“At that point, the cargo vessel was beginning to sink and I did not want to risk the lives of my crew,” he told reporters when met at RMN Naval Region 2 (Mawilla 2) after being rescued by KD Sri Gaya patrol boat here yesterday.

Meanwhile, a ship crew member, Norhamri Abdul Satar, 61, said the cargo ship began its journey midnight (Jan 17) in good weather from Sandakan towards MalaysiaPhilippine border to unload the containers on a Philippine-based boat.

However, he said water began to enter the cargo vessel, believed from a leak in bow of the ship.

“Water was fast entering the vessel resulting in the ship captain contacting the authorities. The sea was also rough,” he added.

Mawilla 2 Commander Rear Admiral Rusli Ahmad said KD Sri Gaya which was patrolling in the area immediately responded to the ship's emergency call.

“KD Sri Gaya ship arrived at the location at 6.40 pm and rescued all seven crews including the captain, aged between 18 and 61 who were on the safety raft,” he said.