Passagiersboot Gekapseist, Honderden Doden

Indonesië Nieuws uit Indonesië
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The Jakarta Post.com
National News
July 10, 2005
Over 100 missing as overloaded boat capsizes off Papua
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura

Search and rescue teams were still looking on Saturday for over a 100 people reportedly still missing after the KM Digoel ferry boat capsized in the rough waters off Merauke, Papua province on Thursday evening.

The 120-ton vessel, belonging to state-owned river and lake ferry service company PT ASDP, reportedly capsized on Thursday around 11 p.m., or seven hours after leaving Kelapa Lima harbor in Merauke.

It was chartered by a store in Merauke to carry heavy equipment and its employees to Tanah Merah in Boven Digoel regency.

Head of Merauke’s Search and Rescue Office, Supeno Yuwono, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday that according to one surviving passenger, the ship had some 200 passengers on board when it left port.

The ship’s official manifest, however, states that the ship was only carrying 35 passengers and 15 crew as well as heavy equipment.

Meanwhile, Umar Imran, a PT ASDP official, told AP that the ferry had a capacity of 153 passengers, but was only carrying 67.

On Saturday, at least 10 search and rescue personnel had been deployed along with four ships to find the missing passengers. The search was assisted by four other ships traveling in the area and a Mission Aviation Fellowship rescue aircraft.

“From the team’s report, they only found the ship’s remains, and it was upside down. There was no sign of life around it, but the search will go on,” Supeno said.

So far, only 15 people – two crew and 13 passengers – have been found.

Out of the 15 surviving passengers, 14 were found on Friday, rescued by the fishing boat Rapikiran 4, and the other one was rescued on Saturday while floating in the sea.

“The 14 passengers have been given medical treatment at Merauke hospital. Twelve of them have returned home and two were still being treated with serious injuries,” he said.

According to Supeno, the overloaded ship capsized after being hit by big waves.

“Surviving passengers said that the ship was hit by waves and water immediately rushed in to the ship, making it unstable before capsizing,” he said.

He said that at this time of year, the waters off southern Papua were often rough and swells could reach four meters high.

“In the months of June and July, the southern sea is dangerous, and causes many accidents,” he said.

The ship, he revealed, was intended for use as a river passenger ferry, but since Merauke regency did not have enough boats, it was used in the open sea. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
200 Feared Dead in Indonesia Sea Accident
The Associated Press
July 09. 2005 10:50PM

As many as 200 people were feared dead days after a ferry capsized in rough seas off eastern Indonesia, a rescue official said Sunday.

The 150-ton KMP Digul sank Thursday night off the coast of Papua province while heading from the port town of Merauke to Tanah Merah, about 124 miles to the north, said Sumpeno Juono of the local Search and Rescue agency.

The ferry was officially reported to be carrying 50 crew and passengers, but survivors said about 200 people were onboard, Sumpeno told The Associated Press. So far, only 15 - two crewmen and 13 passengers - have been found.

Sumpeno said the overloaded ferry - which was also carrying vehicles, heavy equipment and 40 tons of diesel oil - did not have any safety equipment and sank quickly in rough waters.

“We believe the number of missing passengers could reach almost 200,” said Sumpeno, who had little hope of finding any more survivors.

Rescue operations were hampered Sunday by heavy rains and 13-feet-high waves, he said.

Other officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Boat accidents are common in Indonesia, a vast archipelago where safety rules are poorly enforced and rescue vessels are often unavailable.

Merauke is about 2,360 miles east of the capital, Jakarta.

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KM Digoel Tenggelam di Merauke

Ratusan Penumpang Hilang, 14 Ditemukan Selamat

MERAUKE-KM Digoel, sebuah kapal milik ASDP yang beralamat di Jalan Brawijaya Merauke mengalami musibah laut. Kapal nahas berbobot GRT 242 itu, dilaporkan tenggelam Kamis malam sekitar pukul 11.00 WIT pada posisi 08 derajat. 32’ 083 Selatan dan 140 derajat. 66 ’ 55 T di Selatan Onggari sekitar Distrik Okaba Merauke.

Dari kecelakaan kapal itu, 14 orang ditemukan dalam kondisi selamat, sementara puluhan bahkan mencapai ratusan hingga berita ini diturunkan belum diketahui nasibnya dan masih dalam pencarian. Sebetulnya jumlah penumpang yang hilang masih simpang siur. Sebab dari data manifest kapal mencatat jumlah penumpangnya hanya 46 orang (termasuk ABK), namun dari pengakuan penumpang yang selamat menyebutkan jumlah penumpang mencapai 200-an orang.

Kepala Badan SAR Merauke Supeno Yuwono, S.Sos yang ditemui, kemarin menjelaskan, kapal milik ASDP yang dicarter oleh Toko Marinda, pada Kamis (7/7) sekitar pukul 16.00 WIT, berangkat dari Pelabuhan Kelapa Lima dengan membawa sejumlah penumpang, 2 buldoser, semen dan bahan-bahan bagunan lainnya dengan tujuan Tanah Merah Boven Digoel.

Namun, sekitar pukul 11.00 WIT (malam) pihak ASDP kehilangan kontak dengan kapal nahas tersebut. Setelah pagi kemarin, baru diketahui kalau kapal tersebut tenggelam. Menurutnya, 14 orang telah diselamatkan oleh kapal penangkap ikan Rapikiran 4 sekitar pukul 15.00 WIT kemarin.

Menurutnya, dari manifest kapal itu mengangkut 46, terdiri dari 34 penumpang yang seluruhnya merupakan karyawan Toko Marinda dan 12 ABK kapal Lihat daftar nama). Selain itu, diperkirakan ada penumpang lainnya yang ikut dalam kapal itu di luar karyawan toko dan ABK itu, namun tidak tercatat dalam manifest tersebut. Hal ini, karena seorang bapak dengan perasaan was-was, yang datang di Kantor ASDP untuk mendapatkan informasi yang jelas. Karena anaknya 2 ikut menumpang kapal itu, namun namanya tidak tercatat di manifest itu.

Terkait musibah kapal itu, berbagai upaya dilakukan oleh pemerintah daerah. ‘‘KMP Asmat di back-up dari SAR berusaha untuk menuju posisi tenggelamnya kapal itu tadi pagi untuk melakukan pencarian namun karena ombak yang besar sehingga kapal itu kembali lagi ke Dermaga,’’ jelasnya. Tentang penyebab tenggelamnya kapal itu, Supeno mengaku belum mengetahui. ‘‘Untuk sementara, diperkirakan karena faktor alam,’’ jelasnya.

Terkait dengan tenggelamnya kapal itu, Penjabat Bupati Merauke Drs Tedjo Soeprapto, MM dan Ketua DPRD Merauke Daniel Walinaulik, sore kemarin langsung melakukan koordinasi dengan semua pihak. Bahkan, dari pihak Pemerintah Daerah dan DPRD Merauke dengan diwakili salah satu anggota DPRD Merauke dan Kepala SAR melakukan sekitar pukul 15.00 WIT kemarin, melakukan pemantauan dari udara disekitar TKP. Dan menurut Supeno, hari ini dengan menggunakan kapal milik TNI AD yang sedang berlabuh di Pelabuhan Merauke dengan Bupati dan Muspida akan bergerak ke sekitar lokasi TKP.

Sementara itu, dari pantauan Cenderawasih Pos di Kantor ASDP Jalan Brawijaya Merauke, puluhan keluarga penumpang kapal itu datang dengan perasaan was-was dan tak menentu untuk datang menanyakan nasib keluarga mereka. Dan sampai pukul 19.30 WIT 14 penumpang yang selamat telah tiba di Merauke. Dari 14 penumpang yang selamat ini 2 diantaranya ABK. Sesamapinya di Mereuke mereka langsung dievakuasi ke RSUD Merauke untuk mendapatkan peratawan. Setelah diberikan obat seperlunya mereka diijinkan dibawa pulang ke luargnya, lecuali dua orang, termasuk satu ABK bernama Misbah (39) terpaksa dirawat intensif. (ulo)

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“UP TO 200” DEAD IN INDONESIAN FERRY SINKING
Monday, 11 July 2005

RESCUERS fear that up to 200 people could have drowned when the small Indonesian ferry Digul sank last Thursday night Papua province. Fifteen survivors, including two crew members, have been rescued.

Although the 150 gt ferry officially only had 50 people on board the survivors put the figure at about 200.

Small Indonesian ferries regularly sail when grossly overcrowded and safety and lifesaving equipment is rudimentary. The IMO is mounting a campaign to increase safety standards on such “non-convention” (less than 500 gt sailing on domestic routes) craft, in several developing countries.