The crew from the maintenance vessel, which had hit an offshore oil platform, were attended to by health personnel, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said in a statement.

After the accident, the vessel had been anchored about four nautical miles from Kuala Sungai Miri, where other vessels were able to help evacuate the crew to shore, before it sank.

According to the Marine Department, the two deaths involved a Malaysian and another individual who has yet to be identified.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre had received a call at 6.45am from a Sapura Construction ship which received a distress signal from the Dayang Topaz about 7.7 nautical miles from Kuala Baram.

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director-general Mohd Zubil Mat Som said the Sapura Construction ship was mobilised to identify the location of the sinking vessel, with 62 crew members still onboard while 125 had abandoned ship.

The marine department said besides the two deaths, 186 crew members of the ship, owned by DESB Marine Services Sdn Bhd, had been rescued.

Early investigations showed that one of the Dayang Topaz’s anchors was cut off because of bad weather conditions, causing the ship to lose control and crash into the Baram B oil platform.

“The damage caused by this collision has yet to be determined. However, no marine pollution was detected and the ship has been brought to the nearest shipyard for inspection,” the department said.

It said search and rescue operations were being led by MMEA, assisted by other ships under the supervision of Petronas Carigali Sarawak Operations.