Pix in System (courtesy of Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency)
PEKAN: A hole in a dredger caused the vessel to sink, leaving its 12 crew members adrift for 13 hours on a safety raft before they were rescued by a passing trawler near Pulau Berhala on Wednesday.
A hole on the vessel left the eight Thai nationals and four Indonesians on board to abandon ship in the 6am incident.
The captain, Dewiris Taupik, 45, said strong waves as high as three metres had repeatedly hit the dredger before a hole on the floor appeared, resulting in water gushing in.
"When I realised the situation was worsening and the dredger was beginning to sink, I alerted the other 11 crew members and we jumped onto the safety raft.
"We were at sea for about 13 hours before a trawler noticed us some 10 nautical miles from the sunken dredger.
"We were taken to Kuantan Port and two crew members who sustained injuries were taken to the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital for treatment," he said, adding that they were fortunate to escape with their lives.
The Indonesian crew members has been identified as Arifudin, 34, Marzul, 41 and Suharnosow, 63, and their Thai counterparts as Thiraphong, 38, Prapat, 33, Sothorn, 48, Somchai, 41, Teerasak, 59, Thoedpong, 40, Santi, 63, and Daorung, 43.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Eastern Region commander Zulkarnain Mohd Omar said they were alerted by a trawler captain about the incident at 6pm on Wednesday.
He said initial reports revealed that the dredger was travelling from Batam, Indonesia to Thailand for repair works but sunk when a hole appeared on the floor.
"The captain and 11 crew members escaped on a safety raft before they were rescued by a passing trawler at 8.40pm. They reached the Kuantan Port about 9.30pm," he said.
He said that the Indonesian and Thailand embassies have been informed about the incident.
He added that uncertain weather during the monsoon season had resulted in waves as high as four metres and could pose a threat to maritime activities.