Marine Dept steps up surveillance around country’s water

0
Marine Department personnel at the launching of the Primary Base Oil Spill Response in Kuantan. — Bernama photo

Marine Department personnel at the launching of the Primary Base Oil Spill Response in Kuantan. — Bernama photo

KUANTAN: The Marine Department of Malaysia has increased surveillance around the waters of the country to avoid any accidents involving commercial vessels due to the haze.

Its deputy director-general Datuk Rossid Musa said the department was using a variety of communication methods, including Navigation Telex or Navtex, which collects the latest data on weather conditions and wind directions, especially in the Straits of Melaka.

“Normally, we collect data about weather conditions in the country’s waters using Navtex once every two weeks, however, we have now increased the frequency to every six hours.

“Besides that, we also provide the latest information on weather conditions orally to commercial vessels that use our waters, every two hours,” he told reporters after the launch of the Primary Base Oil Spill Response, in the East Coast Marine office here, yesterday.

Rossid said merchant ships are also advised to stay in contact with the nearest port authorities, to receive information pertaining to the wind direction and weather conditions.

He said the department was also ready to cooperate with any of the relevant agencies to ensure traffic in Malaysia waters was safe for merchant ships during this period.

In the meantime, Rossid congratulated the East Coast Marine office, as over the last five years, there had been no accidents involving major oil spills in the region.

He said however, the Marine Department would continue to improve its line of equipment, human resource and strategies to minimise losses and damages, in the event of an oil spill in the region.

“So today, the Marine Department has upgraded equipment for oil spill cleanup from ‘Secondary Base OPR’ to ‘Primary Base OPR’ with a 400-metre long ‘oil boom’.

“This device is also equipped with an oil suction skimmer, and ro-tank for storing the oil that has been sucked in,” he said.

Moreover, he said, the department always made preparations and conducted training together with other relevant agencies such as the police, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, and the port authorities once a year, to face emergency situations involving merchant vessels. — Bernama