A Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) search and rescue (SAR) team at the location of the overturned sand dredge in the waters off Parit Jawa in Muar today. — Picture courtesy of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency

JOHOR BAHRU, March 27 — The search and rescue (SAR) operation to look for nine missing crew members of the capsized sand-dredging vessel, JBB Rong Chang 8, was expanded today.

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Southern Region deputy director (Operations), Maritime Capt Sanifah Yusof said the search area was expanded to 560 sq nautical miles from 400 sq nautical miles yesterday.

“Today, the search area is expanded to 560 (sq) nautical miles from the waters off Batu Pahat to the waters off Pulau Besar in Melaka.

“However, the number of SAR team members and assets involved are still the same, namely 250 people from various agencies as well as six boats, four ships and a helicopter,” he told a press conference here today.

Sanifah said no victims were found as of late this afternoon despite the SAR operation having entered its seventh day.

Help from the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) of Indonesia was still being sought to locate victims who might have been swept into the waters off the republic, he said.

Meanwhile, Sanifah said the SAR operations centre at Pantai Leka in Parit Jawa, Muar was relocated to the Batu Pahat MMEA Office to facilitate monitoring work.

However, the coordination of the SAR operation was still being conducted through the Maritime Rescue Sub Centre in Johor Bahru, he said.

When asked if there were instances of victims rescued by merchant ships passing through the area, Sanifah did not rule out the possibility.

“That route in the Strait of Melaka is busy. So, that could have happened. However, if that were to happen, the merchant ships would have definitely informed us,” he said.

The sand-dredger, carrying 18 crew members including one Malaysian, capsized in waters off Parit Jawa on March 21.

Five were rescued while four bodies were found. Two of the dead have yet to be identified. Nine are still missing. — Bernama </s> The multi-agency search and rescue team brings in one of the two survivors of the capsized JBB Rong Chang 8 sand dredger to shore at the Pantai Leka fishing jetty in Parit Jawa, Muar March 23, 2018. ― Picture courtesy of MMEAMUAR, March 23 ― The multi-agency search and rescue (SAR) team found two survivors from the capsized sand dredger off Tanjung Tohor near here this afternoon.

The injured victims, both Chinese nationals, were rescued by SAR divers from the capsized Chinese JBB Rong Chang 8 sand dredger, about 12 nautical miles from Tanjung Tohor.

Muar Fire and Rescue Department chief Marzuki Ismail said the first victim arrived at the Pantai Leka fishing jetty in Parit Jawa at 3.34pm, followed by another at 4pm.

“The first survivor has been identified as Liu Kongsan, 47, while the other is Liang Fu Zen, 62.

“Both the survivors were handed over to the medical authorities and were sent to the Sultanah Fatimah Specialist Hospital here for treatment,” he told Malay Mail.

At press time, there was still no information on the condition of the survivors.

The SAR operation, led by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), is still ongoing for the 12 other missing male crew members, who are feared to have drowned.

The SAR team has requested lighting support for the evening segment of the ongoing operation.

Yesterday, Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) and private company divers while searching for the missing crewmen overnight had heard knocking sounds from inside the vessel, JBB Rong Chang 8, about 12 nautical miles from Tanjung Tohor.

On Wednesday, the SAR team found one dead crewman and rescued three others who were injured following the capsizing of the vessel that had 18 crewmen, one of them a Malaysian and 17 foreigners, on board.

The victims were earlier on board a marine sand dredge before it capsized at 8.50am on the same day.

The Chinese-owned JBB Rong Chang 8 is a Dominican-registered marine sand dredger measuring at 86 metres-long, with a 6,200 gross tonnage. The hopper-designed marine dredger was commissioned in 2016. </s> A massive search operation is underway after a boat carrying 31 people – mostly Chinese tourists – went missing off the coast of Sabah in Malaysian. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said that it had received a distress call on the disappearance of the vessel late on Saturday night (28 January).

Authorities said that 28 of the people on board the vessel are Chinese tourists, apart from the captain and two crewmen. The boat was en route to the popular tourist island of Pulau Mengalum from Kota Kinabalu in the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah. When the boat failed to arrive at the island following its 60-km voyage, authorities launched the search operation.

"The search area covers 400 nautical square miles and involves waters between Kota Kinabalu and Pulau Mengalum. The Royal Malaysian Air Force will be notified to carry out aerial surveillance," said Lieutenant Awil Kamsari, spokesperson for MMEA in Sabah. Malaysian naval vessels have also been pressed into action.

The Consulate General of China in Kota Kinabalu confirmed the news of the missing vessel and said it is monitoring the situation closely. Although it is not clear what could have caused the boat to have lost contact with agencies, local reports suggest that weather conditions in the there were not good. </s> KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - An official says two Chinese sailors have been rescued more than 50 hours after their sand dredger capsized off Malaysia's southern coast.

Three more bodies were also discovered, leaving nine others still missing.

Coast guard official Sanifah Yusof says divers found the two sailors in the ship's engine room on Friday, apparently trapped in an air bubble that had kept them alive after the vessel overturned on Wednesday.

In This Friday, March 23, 2018, photo, a rescue team carries an unidentified Chinese national who was rescued from a capsized sand-dredging vessel in Parit Jawa, Muar, Malaysia. The Chinese sand-dredger had capsized off the country's southern coast Wednesday, killing a crew member and leaving over a dozen others missing. (AP Photo/Chong)

Sanifah says rescuers also discovered a body floating near the vessel and two more, including a woman inside the ship, on Saturday. He says this brought the death toll to four and left nine others, including a Malaysian and an Indonesian, unaccounted for. </s> KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — An official says two Chinese sailors have been rescued more than 50 hours after their sand dredger capsized off Malaysia’s southern coast.

Three more bodies were also discovered, leaving nine others still missing.

Coast guard official Sanifah Yusof says divers found the two sailors in the ship’s engine room on Friday, apparently trapped in an air bubble that had kept them alive after the vessel overturned on Wednesday.

Sanifah says rescuers also discovered a body floating near the vessel and two more, including a woman inside the ship, on Saturday. He says this brought the death toll to four and left nine others, including a Malaysian and an Indonesian, unaccounted for. </s> Catamaran with 31 people on board, including 28 Chinese tourists goes missing

MMEA launched a search and rescue (SAR) mission to look for a catamaran with 31 people on board which has gone missing. — Picture by Dawn ChinKOTA KINABALU, Jan 29 ― A catamaran with 31 people on board including 28 tourists from China is believed to have gone missing while en route from the Tanjung Aru jetty here to Pulau Mangalum yesterday.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said the catamaran left the jetty at 9am.

“A police report was lodged at 9.50pm,” MMEA said in a statement here today.

MMEA said a search and rescue (SAR) mission using its patrol boat Kilat 36 was mounted at 10.15pm yesterday and three more assets ― patrol boats Kilat 36 and Kilat 39, ship KM Berani ― joined the SAR operation today.

Other agencies involved in the SAR mission included the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN), which despatched its ship KD Ganas, and the Marine Operations Force (MOF), the agency said. ― Bernama </s> Two Chinese sailors have been rescued more than 50 hours after their sand dredger capsized off Malaysia's southern coast.

Divers heard knocking sounds and found the two sailors in the ship's engine room on Friday.

Coastguard official Sanifah Yusof said they were trapped in an air pocket that had kept them alive after the vessel overturned on Wednesday.

He said they were weak and dehydrated and are now being treated in hospital.

Aerial photo provided by Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency shows the capsized sand dredger in the waters off southern Malaysian state of Johor, 22-03-2018. Image: MMEA/Xinhua News Agency/PA Images

The rescue has fuelled hopes that others may still be alive and Mr Sanifah said that air is being pumped into the ship to help anyone who may still be in there.

Four people are known to have died and nine others are still missing after the dredger went down near the state of Johor.

Rescue teams discovered a body floating near the vessel on Saturday, and two more inside the ship.

A team of Chinese divers joined the search operation and rescue efforts have been intensified.

The submerged vessel has been moved closer to shore and stabilised to stop it from sinking. </s> The sailors were rescued 50 hours after the dredger capsized

Two Chinese sailors have been rescued more than 50 hours after their sand dredger capsized off Malaysia's southern coast.

Divers heard knocking sounds and found the two sailors in the ship's engine room on Friday.

Coastguard official Sanifah Yusof said they were trapped in an air pocket that had kept them alive after the vessel overturned on Wednesday.

He said they were weak and dehydrated and are now being treated in hospital.

The rescue has fuelled hopes that others may still be alive and Mr Sanifah said that air is being pumped into the ship to help anyone who may still be in there.

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Image: A team of divers joined the rescue efforts

Four people are known to have died and nine others are still missing after the dredger went down near the state of Johor.

Rescue teams discovered a body floating near the vessel on Saturday, and two more inside the ship.

A team of Chinese divers joined the search operation and rescue efforts had been intensified.

The submerged vessel has been moved closer to shore and stabilised to stop it from sinking. </s> Two Chinese sailors were rescued alive Friday from the engine room of a sand dredger two days after the vessel capsized off Malaysia, while 12 others remain missing, an official said.

[KUALA LUMPUR] Two Chinese sailors were rescued alive Friday from the engine room of a sand dredger two days after the vessel capsized off Malaysia, while 12 others remain missing, an official said.

The rescued crew were "conscious but weak", said coastguard official Sanifah Yusof, after being trapped in the JBB Rong Chang 8 since it overturned Wednesday.

Twelve other sailors - 10 Chinese, one Malaysian and one Indonesian - remain missing.

One Chinese sailor was killed and three others were rescued alive when the Chinese-owned boat first flipped over.

The boat had stayed afloat despite capsizing and hopes were raised that some of the missing had survived after divers heard sounds from inside the hull.

Divers rescued the two Chinese sailors on Friday afternoon, said Mr Sanifah.

"We found two victims who are alive, they are Chinese citizens, and they were taken to Muar hospital," he told AFP. Muar is a coastal town close to where the accident happened.

"We still have hope that everybody is alive," he said, adding the rescue operation would continue into the evening.

It was not clear what caused the accident and the weather in the area was fine at the time.

Dredging sand from coastal areas is a booming and lucrative business. The sand is shipped to wealthy land-scarce areas such as Singapore for reclamation and construction work.

But environmentalists have long argued that the practice damages local communities and ecosystems.

Last year two foreign vessels manned by Chinese crew were seized off Malaysia's west coast for allegedly conducting illegal sand-dredging.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) expands the search area to 560 square nautical miles for nine crewmen missing since March 21 from a capsized sand dredger off the coast of Malaysia. MMEA requests for the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency to assist in the operation.