Biodiversity role now for old military vessel
Published on: Friday, November 18, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: A 52-year-old military vessel once assigned to secure the maritime boundaries of Malaysia has been given a new purpose. There will be no more machine guns or operations for the now decommissioned KM Kuraman.Instead, the British-made vessel has a new mission –- to enrich local marine biodiversity and draw scuba divers to where it now lies – 20 metres under the sea off Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, here. The ship was sort of a gift from the Federal Government so Sabah can reap benefit from "wreck diving" and also as breeding ground for marine life. ADVERTISEMENT State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, who witnessed the sinking of KM Kuraman on Thursday, said the move was better than selling it to scrap dealers. "While the Government could earn a few hundred thousand ringgit by selling it off, imagine the revenue it can make for Sabah, from wreck-diving," said Masidi, noting that the vessel is sunk to a depth where no commercial ships can hit it, giving an opportunity for divers to explore. Masidi said this during the sinking of the ship ceremony here Thursday. Also present were the ministry's Permanent Secretary Datu Rusmadi Sulai, Sabah Parks Director Datuk Jamili Nais and Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) First Admiral Mohd Zubil Mat Som. ADVERTISEMENT Built in 1960, KM Kuraman which measures 31.4 metres long and seven metres wide, entered service in 1964 through the Royal Malaysian Navy. It was assigned to the Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) in 2007.
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On April 8, 2015, KM Kuraman was rammed three times by an Indonesian war ship while on a mission on Ambalad waters during tensions between Malaysia and Indonesia over a border dispute. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Zubil said the sinking of the ship marks the end of the ship's service and it was apt to hand it over to Sabah Parks so it can "continue to serve for the good." He added that the MMEA has conducted similar ship sinkings off Langkawi, Kelantan, Tioman, Perak and Labuan, where the shipwrecks were found to be an effective way to create breeding grounds for fish.