What went wrong at sea? MMEA to review SOPs after fatal Perlis boat pursuit

MMEA deputy director-general (Operations) Vice-Admiral (Maritime) Mohd Zawawi Abdullah said an internal investigation will examine safety procedures, training and equipment following a fatal boat collision off Perlis. — Bernama pic

First Published: Wednesday, 28 Oct 2026 9:47 AM MYT

KUALA NERANG, Oct 28 — The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) will conduct an internal investigation into a boat collision that claimed the life of one of its personnel in waters off Perlis two days ago.

MMEA Deputy Director-General (Operations) Maritime Vice-Admiral Mohd Zawawi Abdullah said the investigation would focus on identifying weaknesses and determining whether the agency’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) needed improvement to prevent similar incidents.

“For every operation, the MMEA has specific SOPs in place, and our personnel are constantly reminded to comply with them.

“Whenever an incident occurs, a post-mortem or internal investigation is conducted to identify shortcomings that can be addressed through improvements,” he said.

He was speaking to reporters after the funeral of Senior Maritime Petty Officer (Technical) Mohd Roshaimi Mohd Ridzuan, 41, at the Muslim cemetery of Masjid Tengku Sarafudin Badlishah here last night.

Mohd Zawawi said the investigation would also examine other areas for improvement, including personnel training and the equipment used during operations.

“Such internal investigations are usually initiated as soon as possible and may take a few weeks to complete.

“We want to determine whether any SOPs need to be refined for the benefit of all MMEA personnel and to prevent similar incidents from recurring,” he added.

He stressed that the incident would not dampen the morale of MMEA personnel but would instead strengthen their resolve, particularly among those serving on the front lines, to remain committed to safeguarding the nation’s maritime security.

On the welfare of the deceased’s family, Mohd Zawawi said the agency would ensure that his widow and two school-going children received appropriate assistance in accordance with existing procedures.

Mohd Roshaimi was killed while three other MMEA personnel were injured when the boat they were in reportedly struck a concrete structure in waters off Kuala Sungai Padang, near Kuala Perlis, at about 11 pm on Monday.

The personnel were pursuing a boat suspected of carrying undocumented migrants when the incident occurred. — Bernama