No leads, search for missing MV Dai Cat 06 vessel called off - MMEA

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director-general Maritime Admiral Datuk Mohd Zubil Mat Som said the decision was made after no new clues were found.

"Although the operation, coordinated by BASARNAS has ended, monitoring by Malaysian Maritime assets especially in Malaysian waters based on the last known location of the ship will continue," he said in a statement today.

Mohd Zubil said the search operation would be reactivated once BASARNAS found new leads on the incident.

He said BASARNAS had mobilised four assets comprising a ship, two boats, and an aircraft in the operation that involved an area of 800 square nautical miles in the waters of Natuna, Indonesia.

Mohd Zubil said assets from the Sarawak MMEA had also been deployed to assist in the operation from the Malaysia-Indonesia maritime border between Tanjung Datu and Kuching waters.

"The investigation on the disappearance of MV Dai Cat 06 cargo ship is still ongoing and any developments will be informed from time to time," he said.

On Jan 9, the Malaysian-registered cargo vessel, carrying 527 pipes, valued at RM726,205, was reported missing in Indonesian waters, and a police report was lodged by the ship's agent on the same day.

The cargo ship which was operated by three local and two Indonesian crew left the pier in Kampung Aceh, Perak on Dec 23, 2022, and was supposed to arrive in Kuching, Sarawak, on Dec 31.