Stay 500 metres away from oil rigs

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KOTA KINABALU: Fishermen have been advised to keep the safe distance or safe zone of 500 metres from oil rigs for their safety when out fishing in deepwater, said Marine Operations Force Sabah/Labuan Commander, ACP Mohamad Madun.

Fishing within the 500-metre safe distance of oil rigs would not only endanger fishermen but also offshore workers, he said.

“The 500-metre safe distance is based on standard SOP which must be observed and abided by all sea users such as fishermen, tour guides and fishing hobbyists.

“This is to ensure the public’s safety as well as safety of crewmembers working in oil rigs,” he said at a press conference during a dialog with local fishermen at SK Pulau Gaya yesterday.

Also present were Petronas General Manager of Sabah and Labuan Regional Office Julita Ontol and SK Pulau Gaya principal Jasmen Elahan.

Meanwhile, Mohamad said the Marine Operation Force (MOF) is seriously looking into illegal fish bombing activities by local and foreign fishermen.

“This negative activity will not only cause harm to the fishermen but will also destroyed coral reefs in the ocean.

“MOF have continued to conduct numerous operations to combat such illegal activities and will continue to do so with cooperation from the public,” he said.

According to Mohamad, MOF has solved 71 cases of illegal fish bombing activities in Sabah with the arrests of 101 individuals between 2014 and 2015.

“In 2014, our record shows a total of 38 cases of illegal fish bombing activities took place in Sabah waters and MOF managed to arrest 43 individuals, while in 2015, 58 people were arrested for similar activities in 33 cases,” he said, adding that 22 of those detained within the two years were either local or foreign fishermen from Kota Kinabalu.

Elaborating further on yesterday’s event, Mohamad hopes the dialog would provide valuable information to local fishermen on the impact of fish bombing and fishing near Petronas oil rigs.