Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (Sesb) is keeping its fingers crossed on commissioning the Kubota power station in Tawau on time despite one of its barges having gone astray en-route from Langkawi, Kedah. The Kubota power plant was to be built near Pasir Putih and targeted to be commissioned in August this year.
The plant will supply an additional 64MW of power to the whole of Tawau as the demand has gone up to 90MW and its current power generating capacity is 64MW.
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Two barges belonging to Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB)-SESB ferried the equipment and logistics of the Kubota power station tugged by two tugboats from Langkawi to Tawau on April 12.
However, only one shipment (Wantas) reached Tawau port on Wednesday (May 16) while the other barge, Wantas VII that was ferrying the power station equipment including a gas turbine generator belonging to TNB-SESB was hijacked by pirates sometime mid-April.
On May 2, it was reported that the barge was found abandoned and drifting off Palawan, north of Sabah, by the Philippine Coast Guards.
It was also reported seven-crew members of a Malaysian-registered tugboat were rescued by Vietnamese fishermen who found them in the waters of Amboyna in the Brunei Exclusive Economic Zone about 220 nautical miles northwest of Miri.
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Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sabah commander Admiral M. Karumanithi said the seven crew of the tugboat, namely, two Malaysians, three Bangladeshis and two Indonesians, appeared weak and dehydrated when they were picked up.
Karumanithi said the owners of the boat, through their agents, would be working out the details of bringing back the crew from Vietnam and the barge from the Philippines.
