Man stuck on collapsing kelong feared for his life

SINGAPORE - Fishing enthusiast Martin Von Gnechten knew he was in trouble when the kelong he was on started swaying and breaking apart on Sunday night.

Strong winds were battering the kelong off Sibu Island, on the eastern coast of Malaysia, so angrily at 8pm that sections broke away like matchsticks, sending panicky workers plunging into the dark, choppy waters.

The only customer at the kelong, the Singapore permanent resident (PR) feared he would die when the lights went out.

All Mr Von Gnechten could do was hope that help would come as the kelong continued to be wrecked by the winds.

The New Paper reported on Tuesday that the kelong he was on, Ah You Kelong, collapsed because of a thunderstorm.

Mr Von Gnechten, 56, said: "I sensed something was wrong when the ground shook and the kelong swayed."

Mr Von Gnechten, who had checked in that morning, said he immediately grabbed his passport and made sure he had his wallet and mobile phone.

He then made his way to the front of the kelong with the 15 workers there.

He said that several minutes later, he heard loud cracking sounds from the back of the kelong as the poles supporting the structure began snapping.

Speaking to TNP on Tuesday, the day after he returned, the executive chef at Black Angus Steakhouse, said: "It sounded like matchsticks snapping, just that it was really loud, given the poles were huge."

The planks that made up the floor of the kelong were the next to start buckling and breaking, he said.

"My first thought was to help everyone on the kelong get to safety," he said.

"Five of them were employees of the kelong, and the other 10 were repairmen fixing the infrastructure.

Collapsing

"It was collapsing from one end to the other, so we headed towards the front of the kelong, which was still intact."

About 20 minutes later, "it suddenly became pitch black and it sounded like the cracking noises had become louder".

He learnt later that the generators on the kelong had fallen into the water.

"I was scared to death at that point, but the most important thing was not to panic," said Mr Von Gnechten, a regular visitor to the kelong for the past seven years.

But several other workers apparently did, he said, as they jumped off the 3m-high kelong into the sea.

Said Mr Von Gnechten: "I don't know if they panicked or they thought it was the best solution because the entire kelong was on the verge of collapsing."

He remained on the sinking kelong with the rest of the workers, one of whom had called for help.

About 10 minutes later, a boat - believed to be owned by the kelong - arrived to rescue them.

After picking up those in the water, the boat made its way to the kelong, with barely a quarter of it still above the crashing waves, said Mr Von Gnechten.

He said he and the rest of the crew jumped onto the boat, which took them to Pulau Sibu.

Mr Von Gnechten said he was the only visitor on the kelong, and that about 20 others had just checked out when he arrived.

The kelong's owner, Mr Wong Peck You, 60, had told TNP on Monday that his kelong had not been operating during the collapse.

When contacted on Tuesday, Mr Wong declined comment.

He did not answer his mobile phone on Wednesday.

He said: "While my wife was relieved that I was okay, she said 'I told you so'

A Mersing police official who declined to be named had said on Monday that no one had been hurt in the incident.

Mr Von Gnechten, who is from the US, came to Singapore in 1997 and got his PR status eight years ago.

He is married to a Singapore PR from Thailand.

Mr Von Gnechten said he is an avid fishing hobbyist, and that he had spent three-and-a-half days on a boat off the shores of Kuching, Sarawak, last month.

Mr Paul Tan, 48, a close friend and fishing buddy of Mr Von Gnechten, said: "We had heard news that the kelong was unstable due to a thunderstorm last week and were advised by our friends not to go.

"But I never expected it to collapse. I was shocked when I heard the news from Martin. We're thankful he came back safely."

Kelong already tilted on Friday: Worker

The kelong which collapsed was already tilted when he went to inspect it on Friday.

But he didn't manage to repair it before strong winds tore it down on Sunday.

Mr Maarup Haruman, 56, who built and repairs two other kelongs near Ah You Kelong off Sibu Island, said he was asked to repair the kelong.

He told The New Paper in Malay: "I went over to inspect the kelong. The area around the generators were already tilted due to strong winds. But other areas were still strong."

As he was tied up with repair works on a nearby kelong, he planned to repair Ah You Kelong on Monday.

His worker, Mr Rais Samion, 43, said

He said in Malay: "He asked us to repair it, but we didn't have time. Other workers were busy repairing other kelongs. So we couldn't do it in time."

Some kelongs have several generators, said Mr Rais. Each generator easily weighs 1,000kg, he added.

Mr Rais also said that Ah You Kelong seldom asks for their services because the kelong has its own workers.

"But because the damage at the generator area was too serious, he had to ask for our services."

Mr Maarup said he used to repair Ah You Kelong five years ago, but no longer does so.

From the radar imagery below, there is no indication of thunderstorm/rain activity around Pulau Sibu.

Keeping up with the kelong

Malaysian Meteorological Department (Met) said that based on observations from 5pm until 10pm at the Mersing Meteorological Station on Sunday, gusty winds peaked at about 20 knots

The information gathered were from the nearest weather station to the incident spot, which is a distance away.

From radar imagery, there was no indication of thunderstorms or rain around Pulau Sibu at the time of incident, the Met said.

Just like a high-rise tower needing a strong foundation, a kelong has its foundation drilled deep into the seabed.

And the strong poles made from either nibong (palm) or coconut trees are crucial in ensuring that the kelong can withstand strong waves and winds.

But even more important is the upkeep of the kelong, an offshore structure with wooden stakes to lead and trap fish.

Mr Maarup Haruman, 56, a Malaysian who builds and repairs kelongs at Mersing and Gelang Patah in Johor, said that frequent repairs ensure that the kelong remains safe.

On Tuesday, he told The New Paper in Malay in a phone interview: "Whenever the poles look weak or unstable, we replace it with a new pole.

"It will not collapse if there's frequent maintenance," said the grandfather of three,.

He also repairs two kelongs off Sibu Island, Mersing, near Ah You Kelong.

Each nibong pole, which costs about RM150 (checked) (S$57.60), has to be replaced every three years (checked) and each coconut pole, which costs about RM300 (checked), has to be replaced every five years, he said.

The twice-yearly repairs, replacements and maintenance is also important as building a new kelong from scratch is expensive.

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