“MMEA will open an inquiry paper and will call the ship’s owner, the crewmen’s family members and the ship’s agent to answer some questions about the ship’s disappearance,” he told Bernama here.

“The queries will include the safety of the ship before sailing and the welfare of the crew, and why the disappearance was only reported on Jan 9 when it was supposed to have arrived in Kuching on Dec 31.”

The Malaysian-registered cargo vessel, carrying pipe rods worth RM726,205, was reported missing in Indonesian waters on Jan 9 and a police report was lodged by the ship’s agent on the same day.

The search for the ship, coordinated by Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), was called off on Jan 14 after no new clues were found.

Zubil also said an initial investigation found the ship was a sand vessel but was carrying pipe rods when it went missing.