LABUAN: The seven-member crew of tanker, including the captain, were rescued by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) here on Christmas Day when the vessel listed to starboard and sank in rough seas near shore.
The incident occurred when the tanker, RAMAI Dua, was anchored in the waters near Kampung Lambidan, Menumbok, said MMEA Labuan director Captain (M) Wan Mat Wan Abdullah.
He said the MMEA operations room received a distress call over the incident at 7.30am and the rescue team arrived at the location around 8.20am.
When we reached the tanker, our boat was experiencing difficulty approaching it due to the high waves of around four meters,?he said, adding that the tanker was spilling some oil.
Captain Wan Mat said all the seven crew members were finally rescued by 12.10pm after abandoning the tanker with their lifeboat.
The tanker captain has informed the MMEA that there was around 200,000 litres of oil in four tanks in the tanker.
When our personnel were rescuing the crew, the oil spill was spanning around the tanker,?said Captain Wan Mat, adding that around 30 percent of the tanker was submerged.
Personnel from Labuan and Sabah Marine Department are carrying out an investigation.
Due to the shallow waters and strong waves, the work to control the oil spill was difficult and some 1,000 to 2,000 litres of oil has spilled from one of the tanks on board,?said Captain Wan Mat.