17 dead in S. Kalimantan boating incident

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Tue, 06/07/2011

At least 17 people have been reported dead and 15 others remain missing after a packed speed boat sank on Monday in Tanjung Dewa in the South Kalimantan town of Banjarmasin.

A joint team from the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the Navy and the National Police, among others, were forced to end their search and rescue efforts on Monday evening because of poor weather conditions in the area.

“The waves are really big at the moment,” a member of the Kotabaru branch of Basarnas, who asked to remain anonymous, told tribunnews.com.

The vessel, Martasiah 2, had been carrying 105 passengers from Port Panjang in Kotabaru and was on its way to Geronggan village in Central Kelumpang district when it was hit by the high waves.

“The weather was very bad. A huge wave hit the right side of the boat. The rudder stopped working, and then the boat started sinking,” said Tarji, a member of the boat's crew, several hours after being rescued.

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Ship carrying 226 passengers catches fire on way to Bangka

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 02/08/2011

A ship carrying 226 passengers heading from Tanjung Priok, Jakarta to Bangka Belitung caught fire at 3.30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jakarta Police aquatic division chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Edion said Tuesday.

The fire is suspected to have started in the vessel's engine room, and the blaze had been completely extinguished by 5.10 a.m.

“We are in the process of evacuating passengers,” Edion said.

The evacuees were taken to two points, Pelni harbour and Tanjung Priok port.

This is the second time in two weeks a passenger ship has caught fire in Indonesian waters.

Previously, on Jan. 28, the KM Laut Teduh 2 passenger ferry caught fire in the Sunda Strait, killing 16 people.

Navy grants ferry to Sangihe administration

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 01/31/2011

The Indonesian Navy granted on Monday a ferry to the Sangihe islands administration, North Sulawesi, to help resolve its protracted sea transportation problems.

Indonesian Navy chief Adm. Seoparno handed over the ferry to the administration, witnessed by among others North Sulawesi Governor Sarundajang.

Sangihe islands deputy regent Jabes Gaghana said the ferry would be used to transport people from Tahuna to Manado and back.

Indonesian Ferry Fire Kills 11

Jakarta Globe, Fidelis Satriantanti & AFP | January 28, 2011

Port officials carry a ferry fire survivor at port in Merak, Banten province,
Indonesia, Friday, Jan. 28, 2011. A transportation ministry spokesman said
the ferry carrying hundreds of passengers has caught fire in Indonesia
early Friday. (AP Photo)

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At least 11 people were killed when a fire broke out on a ferry caught fire traveling between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra overnight, the transportation ministry said Friday.

The ferry caught fire in the Sunda Strait, about three kilometers from the port of Merak at the westernmost tip of Java, at around 3.30am.

"11 people have been killed, and 427 people have survived. We don't know how many people are missing, hopefully there are none,” the transportation ministry's director for maritime passenger services Wiratno said.

The survivors had abandoned the ferry wearing life jackets.

Joko Sulaksono the ministry's directorate general of land transportation said many passengers were transferred to Krakatau Medika hospital in Cilegon near Merak for treatment.

Joko said a vehicle inside the ferry was the suspected source of the fire.

The Indonesian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands is heavily dependent on ferry services but the industry has a poor safety record and fatal accidents are common.

Up to 335 people were killed when a heavily overloaded ferry sank off the island of Sulawesi in January 2009.

4th Singaporean found dead in Malaysia boat mishap

The Jakarta Post, The Associated Press | Mon, 12/27/2010

Searchers recovered the body of a fourth Singaporean tourist and were searching for one more missing in Malaysian waters after an overloaded passenger boat capsized near a resort island, police said Monday.

The wooden boat had been transporting 29 people - more than twice its recommended capacity - to a mainland port Sunday after leaving Malaysia's southern Sibu island, one of the diving zones closest to neighboring Singapore.

It capsized after being struck by strong waves, district police chief Mohamad Nor Rashid said. The passengers were not wearing life jackets.

"One minute we were enjoying the holiday and the next wewere struggling for our lives when the boat capsized," Lim Tai Wee, one of nearly 20 Singaporeans aboard, told The Star newspaper. "It was very windy and the waves were hitting the boat hard."

By midday Monday, rescuers had recovered the bodies of three Singaporean men and a woman, and were looking for more missing, Mohamad Nor said. He added that police had detained the boat's Malaysian skipper for questioning.

Boat with 50 passengers capsizes, only 30 rescued

Antara News, Saturday, October 23, 2010

Ende, Flores  (ANTARA News) - Some 30 passengers were rescued but tens of others went missing after the motorboat they were traveling in capsized in the Flores Sea in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) at around 3 on Friday afternoon.

Maumere Naval Base Commander Col Suroso Hadiwiboso said here on Saturday that the ill-fated boat was engulfed by big waves at Cape Watumana on its way from Palue island to Maumere in Sikka district on Flores island.

"The total number of passengers who had been in the boat remains unclear but according to unofficial information it carried more than 50 people when it capsized," Hadiwibowo said, adding that 30 of them were rescued while around 20 others remained missing.

He said as of Saturday morning rescue workers assisted by water police and local fishermen were still searching for the missing passengers of the ill-fated boat.

The boat was reported to have left Palue island at 4 on Friday afternoon for Maumere, but one hour after that it entered rough seas at Cape Watumana and was hit by big waves that caused it to capsize.

Dozens Feared Dead in Latest Indonesian Ferry Disaster

Jakarta Globe | August 09, 2010

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Kupang, Indonesia. At least 11 people were killed and more than 30 are missing after a passenger boat went down in waters off eastern Indonesia on Monday, the country’s search and rescue agency said on Monday.

“We have found 11 dead bodies and still look for about 32 people that went missing,” National Search and Rescue Agency spokesman Gagah Prakoso said.

The boat set sail carrying about 60 passengers at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday and capsized two hours later off Flores island, in East Nusa Tenggara province, he said.

Local police chief Abdul Rahma Aba said that the inter-island vessel was struck by high waves which caused panic among passengers before it capsized about two miles from shore.

Prakoso said that 17 passengers were found alive and searchers including local fishermen continued to hunt for survivors.

The Indonesian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands is heavily dependent on maritime services but its safety record is poor, and fatal accidents are common.

Up to 335 people were killed when a heavily overloaded ferry sank off Sulawesi island in January last year. In December 2006 a ferry went down in a storm off the coast of Java, killing more than 500 people.

Agence France-Presse

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State Enterprises Ministry Discharge Indonesia Ferry Directors

Tempo Interactive, Wednesday, 31 March, 2010 | 19:29 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The State Enterprises Ministry have dismissed chief director of PT Indonesia Ferry and Finance Director, two members of Board of Directors of the state ferry company and announced resignation of the other four on Wednesday (31/3) following internal rifts between members of the board.

Chief Director Bambang Suryanto and Finance Director Made Sukarna had been permanently removed from Indonesia Ferry after their temporary dismissal earlier this month, a member of the board of commisioner, Ahmad Syukri said.

The other four said to have resigned their posts are Operation Director Pambudi Husodo, Human Resources Director Bonar Manurung, Business Director Johan Iskandar, and Port Business Ultra Amiruddin.

No information revealed about the internal row.

Ahmad said the company has selecting candidates from among senior staffs in the company, which have been proposed to the State Enterprises Ministry.

No time frame released for the selection process and until the State Enterprises Ministry announce its choices, the company will be run by borad of commissioner Danang Baskoro as General Director, Askolani as Finance Director, Basrowi as Technical Director, Sulaiman as Human Resources Director, and Ahmad Syukri as Business Director.

DESY PAKPAHAN