SANDAKAN: The search for a missing fisherman off Pulau Nunuyan was called off at 6pm on Wednesday after four days of operations, said Sandakan Maritime Zone director Muhamad Suhairy Hussain.
He said routine patrols by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) will continue to monitor the area, with the search set to resume if new information emerges.
The operation began after a trawl board and net were found 8.1 nautical miles north of the island, which were later confirmed to belong to the missing boat, while one crewman, Akbar, 24, was found inside the submerged vessel.
The second crewman, 32-year-old Indonesian national Mohd Aswal Arman, remains missing, with rough seas hampering efforts across the 492-square-nautical-mile search area.
He said investigations showed the men had set out to catch prawns on 22 November but were only reported missing on 28 November, and thanked all agencies involved while advising seafarers to prioritise safety at sea.
