PETALING JAYA: The Marine Department has reported another death among the crew members of the Dayang Topaz maintenance vessel, which sank in waters off Kuala Baram, Miri, this morning.
In a statement, its corporate unit said the two deaths involved a Malaysian and another individual who has yet to be identified.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC Putrajaya) had received a call at 6.45am from a Sapura Construction ship which received a distress signal from the Dayang Topaz about 7.7 nautical miles from Kuala Baram.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director-general Mohd Zubil Mat Som said the Sapura Construction ship was mobilised to identify the location of the sinking vessel, with 62 crew members still onboard while 125 had abandoned ship.
The marine department said besides the two deaths, 185 crew members of the ship, owned by Dayang Enterprise Holdings Berhad (DESB) Marine Services Sdn Bhd, had been rescued.
Early investigations showed that one of the Dayang Topaz’s anchors was cut off because of bad weather conditions, causing the ship to lose control and crash into the baramB oil platform.
“The damage caused by this collision has yet to be determined. However, no marine pollution was detected and the ship has been brought to the nearest shipyard for inspection,” the department said.
It said the search and rescue operations were being led by MMEA, assisted by other ships under the supervision of Petronas Carigali Sarawak Operations. -FMT