Phocea Yacht Fire: Seven Crew Rescued From The Vessel

by | Oct 15, 2021 | Historical Disaster

The 246-foot sailing boat Enigma and Phocea caught fire off the coast of Langkawi, Malaysia, on February 18, 2021. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) rescued seven crew members who were believed to be safe and unharmed when the 530 GT yacht was at anchor less than one nautical mile northeast of Pulau Singa Kecil.

When a local patrol vessel discovered the fire, rescuers from the Malaysian Maritime 6 FLASH boat began battling the flames and have continued doing so despite high winds. Maritime First Admiral Mohd Zawawi Abdullah, director of the Kedah and Perlis MMEA, stated in a statement that the weather was “making the operation difficult.”

Aaraya Claims Yacht SinkingAccording to a statement issued by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency: “The Malaysian Maritime 6 FLASH Boat has been dispatched to the scene to provide proper assistance and to distribute incident information to the Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM), the Marine Police Force (PPM), the Department of Fire and Rescue of Malaysia (JBPM), the Malaysian Sea Department, and the Department of Environment. Other agencies’ assets, including KD Mahamiru and RHIB Boats from TLDM, PA 4 Boats from PPM, and MV Suhail from the Malaysian Sea Department, are also on standby to suppress the fire, as is the Malaysian Fire Department.”

Enigma was built as a single-handed race yacht in 1976 to the design of Tim Heywood and interior designer Beiderbeck s. After crossing the Atlantic in 1976, she was converted to a cruise ship by her original builders, the French shipyard DCAN. In 1999/2000, her owner, a well-known individual after whom the 343-foot Lady Moura was named, ordered a major interior and exterior refit at the Lürssen shipyard in Germany. The yacht was again sold in 2010 to her current owners.