By S BIRRUNTHA / pic by BERNAMA

Dayang Enterprise Holdings Bhd’s (DESB) share price saw little to no change yesterday, following the incident of Dayang Topaz, in which a ship with more than 100 people sank in the offshore of Miri in Sarawak at around 6.23am the same day (Oct 27).

The company’s share price ended 0.62% or half a sen lower at 80 sen yesterday, valuing it at RM849.03 million.

Petronas confirmed in a statement yesterday that there were 187 personnel on board at the time of the incident.

It was reported that the vessel was undertaking operational work at the Baram platform for Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd (PCSB), when it made contact with the platforms after its anchor wire gave way during adverse weather.

“As a result of the incident, 125 personnel jumped overboard. The affected personnel were eventually rescued by the emergency responders and evacuated to Miri. However, 2 fatalities were reported.

“An investigation is currently underway and all relevant authorities have been informed of the incident. Our utmost priority is the safety of all personnel involved,” it added.

At the same time, Petronas said it will continue to ensure reliable gas supply to consumers in the event of any gas supply interruptions.

In a Bursa filing yesterday, the board of directors of DESB issued a statement saying that the vessel, Dayang Topaz is not sunk and is still seaworthy. It added that the vessel is adequately covered by insurance and the extent of the damage is yet to be determined.

“We regret to inform that an incident occurred at one of our work sites in Miri offshore in the early hours this morning. We are cooperating with the relevant authorities and our client in the rescue and recovery efforts.

“We thank all those involved in the search and rescue operation including our client and all relevant authorities for their gallant efforts,” the board said.

Meanwhile, according to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, the survivors of the incident have safely arrived at Miri Port yesterday and were given early treatment by the health personnel.

The agency said as for the viral allegation that another crew member had died from the incident, it has yet to be verified and a Petronas helicopter has been arranged to fly medical and police personnel to Baram B oil platform to do the verification.

The 2012-built maintenance and support vessel Dayang Topaz is owned by DESB’s unit DESB Marine Services Sdn Bhd.