Esscom Commander DCP Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid said at about 4pm last Sunday, Esscom detected emergency radio signals through Channel 16 from the ship, MV PHU AN 268.

He said the captain of the ship informed them that while travelling in the waters off Boan Island in the Philippines, the crew detected a boat with six people trailing it in a suspicious manner and trying to intercept it.

In a statement here today, he said the captain then increased speed and changed direction to head towards Malaysia.

Wan Abdul Bari added that acting on the information, Esscom sent a Viper patrol boat and its KD Sri Tiga ship to the Malaysian maritime boundary to find and escort the MV PHU AN 268 to Sandakan Port safely.

He said the quick action of the cargo ship captain in getting assistance made it easy for Esscom.

He urged all seafarers, especially local fishermen, to install the radio Channel 16 and the automatic identification system in their vessels to make it easy for them to seek help or report any suspicious activities.

He said local fishermen had also been reminded to stay clear of Philippine waters.

However, he said, there were still local fishermen who were fishing in the waters off Taganak Island in the Philippines, with the latest being an incident on March 2.

“We view this seriously as the waters between Boan Island and Taganak Island have been the location for several kidnappings. As such, this is a high-risk area,” he said.