Six Crew Members Rescued, Skipper Missing After Cargo Vessel Capsizes Near Lawas

LAWAS, Jan 28 — Six crew members were rescued while the skipper, all Malaysians, remain missing after their cargo vessel, Salim Enam, partially sank approximately 1.8 nautical miles from Tanjung Perapat, Lawas, Sarawak, late last night.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Labuan director captain Izwanhadi Idros said the vessel was discovered overturned by an MMEA Labuan patrol boat at 6.30am today.

"We received a report about a cargo vessel losing contact at around 10.15 pm last night. The Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre (MRSC) in Kuching immediately launched a search and rescue (SAR) operation at 10.45pm," he told reporters at the MMEA office in Patau-Patau, Labuan today.

He said an MMEA operation vessel, Bistari, and a patrol boat, Petir 90, were dispatched from Labuan at 3am and the ill-fated vessel was located soon after their arrival while the six crew members, aged between 30 and 45, had managed to board a safety raft and were found by local fishermen.

"We immediately rescued the six crew members, two of whom sustained minor injuries, while the other four are in stable condition," he said.

The MRSC in Sabah and Sarawak have deployed a scuba diving team to search for the missing skipper, who is believed to be trapped inside the partially submerged vessel.

Captain Izwanhadi added that adverse weather conditions are likely to have contributed to the vessel's sinking and added that authorities were continuing their search and investigation into the incident.

--BERNAMA