THE search for the MV Dai Cat 06 cargo ship which was reported missing on January 9, was called off last Saturday. The operation was coordinated by Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas).

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director-general Maritime Admiral Mohd Zubil Mat Som said the decision was made after no new clues were found.

“Although the operation coordinated by Basarnas has ended, monitoring by Malaysian Maritime assets especially in Malaysian waters based on the last known location of the ship will continue,” he said in a statement today.

Zubil said the search operation would be reactivated once Basarnas finds new leads.

He said Basarnas has mobilised four assets comprising a ship, two boats, and an aircraft in the operation that involved an area of 800 sq nautical miles in the waters of Natuna, Indonesia.

Zubil said assets from the Sarawak MMEA were also deployed to assist in the operation from the Malaysia-Indonesia maritime border between Tanjung Datu and Kuching waters.

“The investigation on the disappearance of MV Dai Cat 06 cargo ship is still ongoing and we will announce developments from time to time,” he said.

On January 9, the Malaysian-registered cargo vessel, carrying 527 pipes valued at RM726,205, was reported missing in Indonesian waters and a police report was lodged by the ship’s agent on the same day.

The cargo ship which was operated by three local and two Indonesian crew left the pier in Kampung Aceh, Perak on December 23, and was to arrive in Kuching, Sarawak, on December 31. – Bernama, January 16, 2023.