KOTA TINGGI: For the past week, fishermen in Sungai Rengit have done something they rarely do - stay away from the ocean.
It is not that they do not want to go out and fish, which earns them around RM1,000 per day, it is just not worth the risk.
Last week's oil spill at Singapore's Pasir Panjang Terminal has drifted into Malaysian waters, affecting the livelihoods of those who depend on it.
"Our fishing tools are not cheap," Sungai Rengit Fishermen's Welfare Association chairman, Rosli Mohd Ali, 56, told the New Straits Times.
"If they are contaminated with oil – the nets, buoys, ropes – they cannot be used anymore and must be discarded. It would be a huge loss," he said.
Though the authorities are not barring fishermen from going to sea, Rosli said the risk of damaged nets and other equipment would be too big.
Each net costs around RM400. A bulk of the costs stems from hand-weaving weights and floats to the net. A single fisherman can have around 50 nets on their boat.
The inability to go out to sea especially when the weather is good is a massive blow to Rosli and the other 150 fishermen in the area.
"Fishermen can't fish all year round, so what we make needs to be kept aside for rainy days, monsoon season, our bills, family expenses and unforeseen circumstances like when we fall ill.
"And everything is expensive these days."
Typically, the fishermen would sell their daily catch to middlemen in Pontian, who in turn export them to Singapore. On a good day, they can make around RM1,000.
But all this came to an abrupt halt after the oil slicks drifted into Pengerang waters on June 18, four days after a collision of two vessels in Singapore led to 400 tonnes of low-sulphur oil leaking into the sea.
"Initially, there were only oil sheens on the water's surface and some patches of black oil. The situation worsened on Tuesday."
By then, the water and beaches in the area were blanketed with thick, black patches of oil.
"Our daily operations cost a lot, we need to fuel our boat, and pay our crew members," he said, adding each boat was manned by a crew of five people.
"We are losing our income daily, and that will just add to our debts. Imagine losing RM7,000 a week."
Since they stopped going to sea, the fishermen have made it a point to gather at a shed by the beach and perform "solat hajat" daily, praying for the situation to improve.
He said representatives of the vessels involved in the collision in Singapore have met them and took down their details.
At the same time, the Fisheries Department is also helping them lodge police reports to facilitate claims.
Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman said the government will request UK-based insurer British Marine to compensate fishermen affected by the oil spill.
"We are praying for the best," he said.
Meanwhile, Johor Agriculture, Agro-based Industry and Rural Development Committee chairman Datuk Zahari Sarip said the state government has approved funds to help the fishermen.