SEBUYAU: Efforts to refloat the MV Tung Sung cargo ship, which capsized and overturned in Pulau Burung waters, are still being assessed by the appointed company Hap Lee Shipping today.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sarawak director First Admiral Zin Azman Md Yunus said the company is still in the process of evaluating the situation.
He added that divers from the appointed contractors have performed their diving operations to further assess the situation to refloat the ship, which was transporting landscaping rocks to Sibu from Kuching.
Meanwhile, the search and rescue (SAR) operation for four more crew members has entered its seventh day yesterday and it is still fruitless as no new clues have been found.
“The search area yesterday was broadened and covered an area of 178.7 square nautical miles, bringing the overall search area to 1,221.36 square nautical miles.
“A total of 55 rescuers from seven departments and agencies namely MMEA, the police, Marine Police, Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), Sarawak Coast Guard (SCG), Civil Defence Force (APM), and the Marine Department, are involved in the operation,” he said.
The MV Tung Sung, on July 19, encountered strong waves that caused it to capsize near Pulau Burung at around 9 pm.
Due to communication difficulties at sea, the SAR operation could only be initiated on the following day (July 20), delaying immediate reporting of the incident.
A total of eight crew members, aged between 20 and 52, were onboard the ship at the time of the accident.
Among them were Chieng Siew Ngiek, Wong Hua Wu, and Stimba Chuit from Sibu; Myanmar nationals That Min July, Ye Lin Htet, Hla Win Tun, and Tun Lin Oo; and Indonesian Lido Ali Purwanto.
Last Saturday (July 22), rescuers found four bodies believed to be crew members between 1 pm and 5.25 pm.
At the time of this writing, the SAR operation as well as flotation works are still ongoing.
