PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has conducted 108 search and rescue (SAR) operations up to May and rescued 203 out of the 251 victims.
MMEA director-general Admiral Maritime Datuk Mohd Rosli Abdullah said that during the same period, 36 victims lost their lives while 12 more have not been found.
Sharing the 2024 statistics, he said the MMEA recorded 226 cases via the search and rescue operations (Carilamat), involving 1,348 victims.
“Of the total, the MMEA saved 1,259 lives, while 64 died and 25 still missing at sea,” he said in a statement issued today in conjunction with the Maritime Safety Awareness Day (HKKM), which has been celebrated since 2021.
To enhance operational efficiency, Mohd Rosli said the MMEA has developed its own Carilamat standard operating procedures (SOP) to ensure the efficiency, speed and safety of every rescue operation.
He said that the responsibility of the team to lead SAR operations in the country’s waters, including in the open sea, is stipulated in Sections 6(a) and 6(b) of the MMEA Act 2004 (Act 633), which clearly grants the MMEA the mandate to head SAR operations in the country.
This mandate, he added, is reinforced by the National Security Council (NSC) Directive No. 20, which names the MMEA as the main agency for maritime disasters, based on the National SAR Manual (Namsar) as the primary reference.
Mohd Rosli said there is no such thing as a “day off” for the MMEA because any emergency requires immediate action, regardless of time or weather conditions.
“Assets such as patrol boats and helicopters are always on standby around the clock for deployment,” he said.
In addition to its responsibilities in SAR operations, he said the MMEA also periodically carries out SAR Prevention programmes in all states and maritime zones to increase maritime safety awareness.
“Community briefings, talks, exhibitions, brochure distributions, joint dialogues with fishermen are all part of its approach to draw close to the maritime community,” he said.
