KUCHING: A fishing boat had to seek assistance from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) as its crew suffered breathing difficulties early this morning.
In the 4am incident, Chua Soon Cho, 44, was not feeling well when the boat he was traveling in was at 19 nautical miles from Tanjung Po.
Kuching MMEA Maritime District director Captain Shahref Steve MacQueen Abdullah said they received a distress call from the boat owner at about 4.20am.
“The owner alerted us that one of his crew, was believed to have suffered an asthma attack. We despatched KM Mengalum to locate the fishing boat immediately.
"We found the boat at about 6.50am and transferred the victim to KM Mengalum and took him to the Maritim Tun Abang Salahuddin (KOMTAS) complex,” he said.
Shahref said Chua was rushed to the Sarawak General Hospital to seek for treatment.
“The boat owner made a wise and quick response in addressing the issue whereby he alerted us before the condition of the victim worsened.
"I hope those who are out at sea do not panic and inform MMEA immediately for any emergencies," he said.