(Commonwealth Union)_ Following a missing inter-island cargo ship report over the weekend, authorities in Indonesia have launched a search and rescue operation in the eastern part of the nation.
According to Indonesian authorities, there were 16 people working on board the ship at the time, and no signal of distress was received. 3,861 dwt ship Mutia Ladjoni 7 sailed from the Indonesian port of Timika, which is situated on Western New Guinea. The ship had finished unloading its cargo for the city of Asike, the authorities were able to ascertain, and it had sailed as scheduled for the port of Bontang on the island of Borneo.
A representative for the Search and Rescue (SAR) office stated that “Their intention was to stop at Dobo Port to refuel.” It added that “Contact has been lost with the ship, and as of right now, its whereabouts is unclear.” The ship’s owner reported that they lost communication with the boat on November 11 when it was in the Aru Sea to the SAR agency. On November 12, they made another radio contact attempt, but were unsuccessful. They immediately reported the vessel missing. On November 13, the Dobo SAR office and other SAR teams started a coordinated SAR operation. The search is also being assisted by the area police and the Indonesian Navy.
The 278-foot-long yacht, which is registered in Indonesia, travels between the islands with ordinary cargo. It was constructed in 1983 and is thought to have never been the subject of a port state control detention. PT Pelayaran Surya Bintang Timur, with its main office in Surabaya, is the company in charge of running the ship. In order to provide inter-island freight service on tramp and liner routes, the firm claims to possess six ships with a capacity of 2000 to 7000 dwt.
The SAR team stated that efforts to find the crew or learn more about the cargo ship’s disappearance will continue.
