Kota Kinabalu: The fishing boat carrying 13 people, including 10 anglers, which was reported missing on Sunday has been located with all aboard reportedly safe and sound.Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sabah/ Labuan Regional Director First Admiral Mohd Zubil Mat Som said they received a report of a sighting of the boat by one of the merchant ships that plies the route at 12.08pm on Monday."At the same time, the boat's owner also called us saying that a fishing boat belonging to his friend also reportedly saw the missing boat at the same location as reported by the merchant ship," he said.
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Acting on the information, Zubil said the Maritime Rescue Sub Centre (MRSC) Kota Kinabalu then dispatched a helicopter from the police Air Wing unit to the location and they later confirmed the sighted vessel was indeed the missing boat."MRSC KK had directed MMEA's KM MEMMON and Navy's KD Jerong to the location and both arrived at the scene at around 2.30pm," he said.
KD Jerong towed the boat to Safma Jetty in Kota Kinabalu, escorted by KM Memmon.Zubil said it is believed the boat had an engine problem on Oct. 8 and had been floating in the area since then.
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"The problem is, the boat is not furnished with any communication equipment. We are lucky to have found the boat within hours. Many times we were unlucky and had to scour the vast ocean for days before we detect something."Therefore I urge boat owners to invest a little money on proper communication equipment," he said.
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He also urged boat owners, especially those who used their boats to transport passengers or used for recreation, to inform MMEA before they depart the jetty so that the agency will be aware of their movement and when they are expected to return.
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The boat left the Safma jetty on Aug. 8 for a three-day fishing excursion to Pulau Mengalum and Pulau Mantanani.It was found about 46km northwest of Pulau Mantanani. There have been several cases of boats running out of luck when in the area.
