Rescuers (right) and marine police officers searching on July 5 for missing victims of the ferry accident near Jembrana, on Bali island. - AFP
JAKARTA: The sinking of the Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry in the Bali Strait last week, which left at least eight dead and dozens missing, has sparked public demands for stricter maritime safety regulations across the country.
Irine Yusiana Roba Putri, a member of the House of Representatives Commission V overseeing transportation and infrastructure, said the recent accident highlights systemic issues in Indonesia’s maritime safety.
“There is something seriously wrong with our system, whether it's technical failures, overloading, poor weather response protocols or weak supervision. In just the past 11 days, three ship accidents have occurred in the Bali Strait,” she said on Monday (July 7), as reported by Kompas.com.
On June 22, the Gerbang Samudra 2 ferry ran aground in the waters off Gilimanuk, Bali. The following day, a similar incident occurred involving the Agung Samudra 9 ferry. No casualties were reported in either case.
Irine has urged the Transportation Ministry to conduct a thorough audit of all ferries operating in the Bali Strait, including inspections of their safety standard protocols and crew training.
She also emphasised the need for stricter monitoring to ensure that ship operators are complying with regulations in the field in order to safeguard passengers.
“Every ship sailing through the Bali Strait carries dozens of lives. The government must not wait for a tragedy to occur before taking action. Emergency response after an accident is not enough,” said the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician.
Meanwhile, Gerindra Party lawmaker Bambang Haryo Soekartono has urged the Transportation Ministry to revise a regulation that exempts vehicle owners from purchasing individual ferry tickets.
Under the current policy, only the vehicle is ticketed, resulting in the omission of passenger names from the ship's manifest.
"Every individual on board must hold a ticket and be recorded in the manifest. Authorities need to account not just for the number of passengers, but also for their identities," Bambang said on Sunday.
According to the ship’s manifest, the Tunu Pratama Jaya was carrying 53 passengers and 12 crew members. However, authorities believe the actual number of people on board may have been higher.
Rescuers have so far recovered two bodies that were not listed in the manifest, and several survivors also did not appear on the passenger list. In addition, some individuals have reported that their family members were aboard the sunken ferry, although their names were not recorded in the official manifest.
Khoiri Soetomo, Head of the Lake and Water Transportation Operators Association (Gapasdap), has called on the government to support ship operators in modernising their fleets to enhance safety.
“Support could include affordable financing options and fiscal incentives. We also encourage the national shipbuilding industry to produce high-quality ships quickly and at competitive prices. Maritime safety is a responsibility that must be shared by all parties, regulators, operators and service users,” he said on Monday.
The Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry departed from Ketapang Port at 10:5pm on July 2, but just 24 minutes into its journey, the vessel sent a distress call to port officials, reporting a leak in the engine room. By 11:35pm, the ferry had lost all power and shortly afterward, it capsized and began drifting southward.
Rescue efforts were launched immediately, and as of Thursday evening, 30 survivors had been found, while the bodies of eight individuals had been recovered.
Coordinator of the rescue mission and the National Search and Rescue Agency’s (Basarnas) deputy for operations, Rear Adm. Ribut Eko Suyatno, told reporters on Sunday there is a possibility that the bodies of the remaining passengers are trapped inside the wreckage of the ferry underwater.
The Navy’s KRI Fanildo-732, a minesweeper vessel equipped with sonar technology, previously detected what is believed to be the wreckage of the ferry on Saturday, about 800m from the presumed sinking point, at a depth of around 50m.
Authorities have deployed 34 underwater rescue specialists and more than 600 personnel to search for the missing victims.
In the past decade, there have been at least three fatal ferry accidents in the Bali Strait, including the recent sinking of the Tunu Pratama Jaya.
In March 2016, the Rafelia 2 ferry, carrying 76 people, sank, resulting in seven deaths. A similar tragedy occurred in December 2021, when the Yunicee ferry capsized, killing seven people and leaving 18 passengers still missing to this day. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
