Malaysian-registered cargo vessel missing in Indonesian waters

JOHOR BAHRU (Malaysia), Jan 10 (Bernama) -- A Malaysian-registered cargo vessel, MV Dai Cat 06, with five crew members and ferrying metal pipes, was reported missing in Indonesian waters, according to Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA). First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria, the MMEA Director of southern state Johor, said his team received information regarding this incident at 5.13 pm Monday. He said the information was received after a police report was lodged by the ship's agent at 12.22 pm Monday. Nurul Hizam said the agent claimed that the cargo ship, operated by three Malaysians and two Indonesians, aged 20 to 57, had left the jetty in Kampung Aceh, in the state of Perak, on Dec 23, and was scheduled to arrive in Kuching, Sarawak, on Dec 31. “The vessel’s last location, detected through the Automatic Identification System (AIS) on Jan 1, was in Indonesian waters, 0.2 nautical miles from the boundary of Johor waters. "However, an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), believed to be from the cargo ship, was detected at 10.42 pm at a position 30 nautical miles northwest of Pemankat, Indonesia," he said at a press conference at the Johor Maritime headquarters here Tuesday. He added that the emergency signal was detected by the Malaysia Mission Control Centre (MYMCC) and Singapore's Police Operations Command Centre (POCC). According to him, the cargo ship was ferrying 527 pipes, valued at RM726,205 (US$166,050). -- BERNAMA