SHAH ALAM: Ten crew members, including the captain of cargo ship MV KUMJIN, survived after the vessel sank 2.1 nautical miles west of Tanjung Rhu, Sepang near here, this morning.
Selangor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director Captain Maritime Abdul Muhaimin Muhammad Salleh said information regarding the incident was received by MMEA through a call informing that a cargo ship had sprang a severe leak in the front of the ballast tank.
Abdul Muhaimin said in the incident at 3.35 in the morning, ten crew members including the ship's captain were trying to move to the lifeboat due to the major leak.
"Following that, MMEA mobilised its Perkasa 36 boat to the location despite the bad weather.
"Upon arriving at the location, the MMEA team found that MV KUMJIN was in an unstable condition and the crew and the ship's captain were trying to move to the lifeboat," he said in a statement.
Abdul Muhaimin said MMEA members helped to transfer all the victims onto Perkasa Boat 36 before taking them to Pulau Indah Marine Police Base Jetty for further action and health checks.
He said from an inspection of the identity documents, the captain of the ship who is an Indonesian citizen aged 53 and the other crew members who are Indonesian and Myanmar citizens aged 19 to 50 years old are carrying valid identity documents and permits. — BERNAMA