Arya News - Just 24 minutes into its journey, the vessel sent a distress call to Ketapang port officials, reporting there was a leak in its engine room.
BANYUWANGI – At least six people were killed and dozens remain missing after the Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry sank near midnight on Wednesday while crossing the Bali Strait from Ketapang Port in Banyuwangi, East Java, to Gilimanuk Port in Jembrana, Bali.
A joint rescue operation involving Search and Rescue personnel from Bali and East Java, along with port authorities, local military units, police and volunteers, has been underway since the early hours of Thursday to search for the missing victims.
“We have also deployed 13 underwater rescue specialists, along with nine ships and a helicopter, to assist in the search,” said National Search and Rescue Agency head Air Vice Marshal Mohammad Syafi’i on Thursday.
Syafi’i noted that the operation had been hampered by strong ocean currents and waves reaching up to 2.5 meters. Authorities have urged fishermen and passing vessels in the Bali Strait to remain vigilant and to immediately report any signs of survivors or wreckage.
According to authorities, the Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry departed Ketapang Port at 10:56 p.m. carrying 53 passengers and 12 crew members.
Just 24 minutes into its journey, however, the vessel sent a distress call to Ketapang port officials, reporting that there was a leak in its engine room.
By 11:35 p.m., the ferry had lost all power and shortly afterward, it capsized and began drifting southward. Its last known position was recorded approximately 2.7 kilometers from Ketapang Port.
Rescue efforts were launched immediately, and as of Thursday evening, 30 survivors had been found, while the bodies of six individuals had been recovered.
The bodies have been transported to Negara Regional Hospital in Jembrana Regency for identification and further examination.
Head of the Surabaya Search and Rescue Agency, Nanang Sigit, said most of the survivors either swam to shore or were rescued by local fishermen.
“They were found along several points on Bali’s southern coast, from Gilimanuk Beach to Melaya Beach and Pebuahan Beach in Jembrana’s Negara District,” he said on Thursday.
National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) head Soerjanto Tjahjono said he and two investigators will travel to Bali to investigate the cause of the ferry accident.
“There are reports that the ferry experienced a leak in its engine room before it sank. We will verify those reports. We will also examine the vessel’s docking records and maintenance history and interview surviving crew members,” he said, as quoted by Kompas.id.
Soerjanto expressed hope that the results of the investigation would help prevent similar accidents in the future, noting this was not the first ferry disaster to occur in the Bali Strait.
In March 2016, the Rafelia 2 ferry, carrying 76 people, sank in the Bali Strait, resulting in seven fatalities. A similar incident occurred in December 2021, when the Yunicee ferry capsized, leaving seven dead and 18 passengers still missing to this day.
Soerjanto explained that despite the Bali Strait’s relatively narrow width of about 8 kilometers and an average depth of 50 meters, it poses significant hazards for ships due to its unusually strong and unpredictable currents.
“The currents can swiftly shift direction between north and south because of tidal influences from both the Indian Ocean and the Java Sea. During these tidal changes, the currents become exceptionally powerful. For instance, during the Yunicee ferry accident, the vessel drifted far south within minutes after sinking,” he said.
Setyo Nugroho, dean of the Faculty of Marine Technology at Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) Surabaya, stated that cargo-related issues are responsible for 80 percent of ship accidents worldwide.
“Improper stability calculations can significantly affect a vessel’s behavior under certain conditions. However, this issue alone rarely causes accidents. Other factors, such as technical flaws in the hull or engine, leaks and human elements like fatigue, which can reduce concentration, usually also contribute to such incidents,” he explained.
He further explained that many maritime accidents result from a combination of factors, a phenomenon known as the “Swiss cheese effect”, where multiple layers of failure align to cause a disaster.
“Marine safety regulations in Indonesia are adequate; however, enforcement and monitoring remain lax, with many industry players failing to comply with the rules,” Setyo said.