Deep-sea fishing boat catches fire, crew escapes by jumping into sea

MALAYSIA: A deep-sea fishing boat was engulfed in flames late Sunday night while operating off the coast of Pantai, with about 80 per cent of the hull destroyed.

All 25 crew members managed to escape by jumping into the sea and were later rescued with the help of nearby fishermen and emergency responders. No injuries were reported.

According to China Press, the crew immediately sent out a distress message through social media groups after discovering the fire. The Pantai Fire Department, Pantai Volunteer Fire Department, and several nearby fishing boats responded and rushed to the scene to carry out rescue operations.

The situation was particularly dangerous as the vessel carried around 10,000 litres of diesel fuel, and so, firefighters consulted with the boat owner and, with assistance from other fishing boats, towed the vessel further out to sea before sinking it to prevent further risk. Once the flames had been suppressed, the wreckage was retrieved and towed back to the fishing hut.

Firefighters spent nearly two hours flooding the boat with seawater. The fire was brought under control at around 1 a.m. and fully extinguished by 2:57 a.m.

The boat owner revealed that the wooden vessel, which had been in service for over 17 years, was valued at approximately RM1 million (S$300,000). Both the hull and fishing equipment were almost completely destroyed, with initial losses exceeding RM1 million.

He added that replacing the vessel with one of similar specifications would cost between RM3 million and RM4 million (S$910,000 to S$1.22 million).

Videos and photos from the scene showed people of different ethnic backgrounds working side by side to help put out the fire.