Published on: Tuesday, January 19, 2021
By: Mardinah Jikur
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SANDAKAN: A cargo ship capsized in the Segama Reef waters near Tambisan, Lahad Datu, some 67 nautical miles from here on Sunday. All seven crew including its captain were rescued
(pic).
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The crew comprising five Malaysians and two Filipinos onboard Mermaid Challenger were on their way from Sandakan to the international border between Malaysia and the Philippines to deliver goods when choppy waves came crashing into their ship at about 5.46pm.
Ship captain, Bili Odong, 50, and his crew Sadani Abdullah, 52, Mustafa Bidin, 33, Mohd Akin Mandu, 41, Mohammad Shariel Thomas Jalong,18, Thomas Jalong Njau, 57, and Norhamli Abdul Satar, 61, were rescued by the navy’s KD Sri Gaya led by its commanding officer Lieutenant Commander Harulizam Haron upon receiving a distress signal.
A naval vessel,
KD Sri Gaya, under the command of Lt Com Harulizam Haron, rescued the seven men who were on a raft after they abandoned their vessel in the area around Segama, about 67 nautical miles from Sandakan.
The naval vessel was carrying patrols under Ops Pasir when it received a distress call over radio from the
Mermaid Challenger crew at 5.46pm Sunday (Jan 17).
Despite stormy weather and strong waves, the navy managed to reach the sinking vessel and grab the sailors to safety from their raft.
All seven were brought back to the Sandakan naval base and subsequently sent to the Duchess of Kent Hospital for observation after they returned at about 8am Monday.