BATU PAHAT: Nineteen people were rescued after a cargo ship bound for Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, caught fire yesterday.
The 8.30am incident occurred at a location 9.1 nautical miles off Tanjung Laboh in Johor.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and Marine Police personnel rescued the 19 crew members, comprising one Malaysian and 18 Filipinos, from the locally-registered ship.
Batu Pahat maritime zone director, Commander Zaini Zainal Abidin, said efforts to extinguish the fire are ongoing.
"So far, no reports of oil spills have been received," he said.