BINTULU: There were a total of 19 emergency cases at sea from January up till last Friday (Sept 25) this year. This is according to statistics recorded by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).
Bintulu Maritime Zone acting director Maritime Commander Effendy Mohamed Fadil said of the figure, September recorded the highest number with five cases.
He shared that so far, 14 victims had been rescued and one death was recorded.
Apart from that, there are still four victims who have yet to be found, including involving the incident that occurred on Sept 16.
“The maritime fraternity is urged to prioritise safety especially during turbulent sea conditions and unpredictable weather during the transition phase of the southwest monsoon winds covering the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia and the west coast of Sabah and Sarawak from Sept 24 until November.
“They are to postpone any activity if circumstances do not permit,” he stated.
Effendy noted that the community should practise safety measures while at sea by wearing a safety jacket and bring along a personal locator beacon (PLB) device to help facilitate the MMEA in identifying one’s location in case of an emergency.
The public are advised to contact the Sarawak State Maritime Operations Centre in the event of an emergency or suspicious incident at 082-432544 or dial Malaysian Emergency Response Services (MERS) at 999.
