Malaysians on board distressed speedboat rescued off Tawi-Tawi waters

ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 4 April 2023)—Eleven passengers of a Malaysian speedboat that had engine failure in the sea waters off Sibutu Passage in Tawi-Tawi were rescued by Philippine authorities Friday last week, belated reports said.

_{Philippine Navy personnel check the distressed Malaysian speedboat. Photo courtesy of Western Mindanao Command}

Joint personnel of the Philippine Navy, Philippine Marines, Philippine Coast Guard-Sibutu Station, and the Sibutu Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) came to help the Malaysians, according to Brig. Gen. Romeo Racadio, commander of the Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi.

Racadio said that the Littoral Monitoring Station (LMS) Bongao received news about the distressed speedboat from the ship captain of M/V Tomini Dynasty, a bulk carrier registered with Marshall Islands in the Pacific, whose crew first noticed the Malaysians.

M/V Tomini Dynasty, he said, left Sriracha Anchorage in Thailand days earlier for a voyage to Rizhao, China. It was plying the Indo-Celebes Sea when its crew chanced upon the distressed speedboat in the seawaters of Sibutu.

Racadio said M/V Tomini Dynasty’s ship captain then radioed for assistance, which was received by LMS Bongao. The latter immediately informed the Maritime Coordinating Center Tawi-Tawi (MCC-TT).

Racadio said that JTF Tawi-Tawi conducted validation in coordination with the different law enforcement units and lead government agencies while contacting the Maritime Coordinating Center Tawau in Sabah, Malaysia.

The rescued Malaysians informed Philippine Navy personnel that they left Tawau and was bound for Semporna in Sabah on March 28. While plying Tawau’s seawaters, the engine’s injection pump malfunctioned.

“The crew tried to fix the engine, but there were big waves and strong currents due to weather conditions, causing them to drift to Sibutu waters,” stated Racadio.

The Malaysian speedboat is a family-owned vessel registered in Tawau, Racadio said.

_{Malaysian passengers of the distressed speedboat relay their experience to Philippine Navy personnel. Photo courtesy of Western Mindanao Command}

After the distress call was responded to, personnel from PCG-Sibutu and Sibutu MDRRMO came to the Malaysians’ rescue, bringing relief provisions such as water, food, warm blankets, and medical assistance, Racadio said.

The M/V Tomini Dynasty then turned the Malaysians and their towed watercraft over to the Royal Malaysian Navy in Sabah at dawn of April 1.

Following JTF Tawi-Tawi’s report, Lt. Gen. Roy Galido, Western Mindanao Command chief, assured that the Navy and Marine troops under his command are always ready to respond and tend to all those who experience distress at the sea waters within or near the area of responsibility of WestMinCom. (Frencie L. Carreon / MindaNews)