AsiaOffshore

Malaysian workbarge sinks, 121 crew rescued

An offshore workbarge sunk at the Baram field in Malaysian waters this morning, sparking a huge rescue operation.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency has confirmed that offshore vessel Sapura Constructor reported that it had received an emergency signal from the sinking Dayang Topaz, located around 7.7 nautical miles from Kuala Baram, Miri. 

The Sapura Constructor sailed to the area to track the exact location of Dayang Topaz, and found the ship sinking. 62 crew are reported to have still been onboard the vessel, while another 125 crew jumped into the sea.

Maritime Rescue Coordination Center launched a massive search and rescue operation by sending out a number of rescue ships and coordinated nearby ships owned by Shell and Petronas to the site. So far, 121 crew have been rescued while one was found dead and four others are missing.

The search and rescue operations are ongoing, while the cause of the incident is still under investigation. Photos seen by Splash indicate the ship hit a platform in the Baram field.

The 2012-built vessel Dayang Topaz is owned by Malaysia’s DESB Marine Services, which is part of Dayang Enterprise Holdings.

Jason Jiang

Jason is one of the most prolific writers on the diverse China shipping & logistics industry and his access to the major maritime players with business in China has proved an invaluable source of exclusives. Having been working at Asia Shipping Media since inception, Jason is the chief correspondent of Splash and associate editor of Maritime CEO magazine. Previously he had written for a host of titles including Supply Chain Asia, Cargo Facts and Air Cargo Week.

Comments

Back to top button