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MIRI: Huge waves hit a ship in the rough South China Sea off the coast of Miri in northern Sarawak causing panic and chaos among the 187 crew on board on Tuesday (October 27).
Two died, one was injured and 184 others were rescued after their ship and an oil rig were damaged in the 6.45 am incident at a Petronas oil rig located 7.7 nautical miles from Kuala Baram near the city of Miri.
The injured and rescued survivor was airlifted by Petronas helicopter to Miri Hospital.
The Malaysian Maritime Control Agency (MMEA), in its latest updates, said that as of noon on Tuesday, the latest information is that there were 185 Malaysian crew and two Indonesians on board the ship.
Two are confirmed dead, while another injured has been airlifted to Miri Hospital, while the rest have been rescued and taken to shore.
MMEA CEO Datuk Mohd Zubil Mat Som said that the scene of the operation is seeing waves up to four meters high.
“The sea is still rough with waves of 3.5 to 4 meters,” Zubil said.
The ship, Dayang Topaz, was contracted by Petronas and initial probes showed that its anchor cable to the oil rig broke after being hit by huge waves, he said.
The ship then collided with the Baram B platform, he added.
Some 125 crew members jumped into the sea after the ship was overwhelmed by the waves, but 62 crew members were still clinging on board, it added.
Those floating in the waves were rescued by numerous ships that had joined the MMEA in rescue operations, he said.
The ship has been saved from sinking further and rescued crew members are being brought ashore.
“Damage to the platform and the ship is being investigated.
“No oil spill has been found at the site,” he said.
Zubil thanked the ships that assisted in the rescue operations.
He praised those who responded quickly to Dayang Topaz’s call for help and rushed to the scene to help rescue those floating in the sea.
Sarawak is now facing the onslaught of the stormy “moors” season, which is the equivalent of the monsoon season on the east coast of the peninsula.
The stormy weather in northern Sarawak is exacerbated by a typhoon hitting the southern seas off the Philippines.
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