LABUAN: Six patrol boats of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) would be turned into shipwrecks for fish breeding and tourist attractions in Labuan.
MMEA deputy general director Dato’ Ahmad Puzi Hj Abdul Kahar said all the boats are over 40 years old. They would be replaced with new ones to beef up the security in the national waters.
He disclosed this yesterday when handing over a patrol boat to the Labuan Marine Park Department to be disposed of as a shipwreck at the Labuan Marine Park.
Ahmad Puzi said the 40-year-old boat, ‘KM Pemanggil’, was used by the navy before it was handed over to MMEA in 2006.
“We hope that it will be used a shipwreck for fish breeding around Labuan Marine Park and also to contribute to the tourism sector here in this island, especially for shipwreck hunting activity among the scuba divers,” he said.
The general director of Marine Park Department, Dr Sukarno Wagiman, said the MMEA boat would be turned into a shipwreck between Rusukan Besar and Rusukan Kecil Islands. It would be used for fish breeding and tourist attraction for the Marine Park.
Three islands, namely, Rusukan Besar, Rusukan Kecil and Kuraman have been gazzetted by the government as Labuan Marine Park.
Dr Sukarno disclosed that the estimated economic value of the marine park in Labuan was RM59 million per year derived from the arrival of domestic and foreign tourists, apart from the fishing activities outside the marine park waters.
“Divers now are crazy about diving in shipwrecks and they will feel proud if they can dive in another new shipwreck like they did in Peninsular,” he said.
He disclosed that the economic value of Payar Island in Kedah was estimated at RM74 million per year.
It was partly contributed by fish breeding at the shipwrecks located around the island that would contribute to the production of marine products.