KUCHING: A fisherman, believed to be a Filipino citizen was found safe, after being separated from his mother boat for five days while fishing in Bintulu-Miri waters.
Worknel, who is in his 60s, was rescued by a delivery boat off the coast of Miri. Found in a small boat, he was without any identity information.
Worknel was given early treatment as well as food by his rescuers on board MV Fermann.
The Maritime Rescue Sub Centre (MRSC) Kuching, who was notified of the incident, acted immediately by sending personnel to the location.
Sarawak State Maritime Director, First Admiral (Maritime) Robert Teh Geok Chuan, said, “The victim was safely transported aboard the Malaysian Maritime vessel at about 11.00 pm and reached the Marina Bay Miri jetty safely at about 8.15am.
“We will hand the fisherman over to the hospital to check his condition and then to the Malaysian Immigration Department for further action.
“A police report was also made as the man did not have any identification documents,” he added.
Teh reminded the public, especially the fishing community, to always follow safety procedures when going out to sea.
“Among the things to keep in mind is to make sure the communication equipment on the boat or ship is functioning properly, bring along emergency equipment such as the Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) to facilitate the Malaysian Maritime to detect them if there is any emergency at sea as well as carry basic safety equipment such as safety jackets,” he said.
Teh also urged the public with information on suspicious activity and any emergency in Malaysian waters to contact the Sarawak State Maritime Operations Centre at 082-432544 or MERS 999.
