Kuala lumpur: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government will intensify efforts to bring home the remaining crew of Berkat Tuah, the offshore support vessel, still stranded at Hamriyah Port in Dubai.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Anwar stated in a Facebook post on Wednesday that the effort is being coordinated through close cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malaysia, the Malaysian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and relevant agencies. Anwar made this announcement after meeting one of the Malaysian crew members, Muhammad Kamal Idhamuddin Kamal Arifin, who recently returned safely after being stranded with fellow crew members for seven months.

Anwar expressed relief over the successful return of Muhammad Kamal and his colleagues, emphasizing the government's ongoing commitment to bringing home the remaining crew members as soon as possible. He reassured that the government is dedicated to safeguarding the welfare and safety of Malaysians abroad and expressed hope that those still stranded would remain resilient.

The airspace in much of West Asia has faced closures due to the escalating conflict, which includes a wave of United States and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, followed by Tehran's retaliatory attacks on US military bases across the region. This situation has affected flights globally, with at least eight countries, including Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE, announcing airspace closures since the conflict began.