Orkim Harmony: Navy widens search area for missing oil tanker

The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) has widened the search area for the oil tanker reported missing in the waters of Tanjung Sedili, Kota Tinggi, Johor, covering about 4,000 square nautical miles.

A search operation for the MT Orkim Harmony, carrying 6,000 metric tonnes of RON95 petrol fuel, was mounted by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and the Navy since it went missing on Thursday.

Chief of Navy, Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar, said the search operation involved three vessels owned by the RMN namely the KD Terengganu, KD Pendekar and KD Ganyang.

Royal Malaysian Navy

The image shows the location where Orkim Harmony was last spotted when it sailed from Melaka to Kuantan Port before it was reported missing on Thursday. - Photo Astro AWANI/Hilal Azmi

"Search efforts are being actively carried out by maritime enforcement agencies of neighbouring countries after being informed of the missing vessel," he told Bernama today.

Yesterday, Abdul Aziz said as many as 150 members of the Navy were involved in search and rescue operations to assist the MMEA.

The missing Malaysian-registered vessel was sailing from Melaka to Kuantan Port when it was reported missing. It was carrying a crew of 22, comprising 16 Malaysians, five Indonesians and a Myanmar national.