Cargo ship sinks off Sepang, 10 crew members saved

Ten crew members, including the captain of the cargo ship MV Kumjin, survived after the vessel sank 2.1 nautical miles (about 3.9km) west of Tanjung Rhu, Sepang, this morning.

Selangor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director Abdul Muhaimin Muhammad Salleh said the agency received information regarding the incident through a call informing that a cargo ship had sprung a severe leak in the front of the ballast tank.

Muhaimin said in the 3.35am incident, 10 crew members including the ship’s captain were trying to move to the lifeboat due to the major leak.

“Following that, MMEA mobilised its Perkasa 36 boat to the location despite bad weather.

“Upon arriving at the location, the MMEA team found that MV Kumjin was in an unstable condition and the ship’s captain and crew were trying to move to the lifeboat,” he said in a statement.

Muhaimin said MMEA members helped to transfer all the victims onto Perkasa 36 before taking them to the Pulau Indah marine police base jetty for further action and health checks.

He said from an inspection of the identity documents, the captain of the ship, who is an Indonesian citizen aged 53, and the other crew members who are Indonesian and Myanmar citizens aged 19 to 50 years old, all carry valid identity documents and permits.

- Bernama