LUMUT – Search-and-rescue operations are underway for a fisherman who has gone missing after a Singapore-registered barge carrying sand to Port Blair in Andaman, India collided with his fishing boat near Pulau Talang at about 4am on Tuesday.
The fisherman is believed to have gone down with the vessel.
Two other fishermen on board the same boat have been rescued by Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) personnel from Lumut.
The incident was reported to the Malaysian Marine Department headquarters by its office here at 3.40pm the same day.
In a statement, the department said the boat, Glory TB 3, carrying three Myanmar nationals, sank during the incident.
The Northern Region Marine Department has set up an investigation team to ascertain the cause of the incident, besides initiating search-and-rescue operations with marine police led by MMEA in Lumut.
Instructions have been given out to inform shipping agencies to alert their vessels of the incident so that they will be cautious when passing through the area.
No oil spill has been sighted at the scene. – The Vibes, January 26, 2021
