Ismaili Bujang Pit
MIRI: All five Rajang River boat tragedies last year, including in Daro, which killed more than 20 passengers, involved unlicensed boats.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sarawak enforcement chief First Admiral Ismaili Bujang Pit said passengers are at risk when they board unlicensed boats.
As such, he said MMEA would collaborate with the Sarawak Rivers Board (SRB) and Marine Department to hold a boat safety campaign in the middle of next month to prepare for Gawai Dayak.
“We do not want any more boat tragedies like the ones in the Rajang River to happen again. So we are giving stern warnings to boat operators to comply with all the rules and regulations, especially in ensuring the safety of their passengers,” he said after MMEA’s search and rescue exercise (Sarex) yesterday.
Ismaili said this includes for all boats to have sufficient life jackets for every passenger.
Unlike most express boats which have licences, he said many small boat operators tend to neglect the importance of having this essential lifesaving equipment.
“Most of these passengers who were involved in several boat tragedies in the Rajang River did not wear life jackets. After this, we want everyone involved in operating boats in the state to comply with the rules by optimising the use of equipment in their boats,” he said.
On the campaign, Ismaili said life jackets would be distributed to all licensed boat operators throughout the state.
MMEA and several other agencies would also train unlicensed boat operators on ways to operate their boats safely.
“So our approach now is more on educating these boat operators,” he said.