SURABAYA: Extreme weather and rough seas have caused a series of boat accidents in East Java, leaving at least 25 people missing over the past two months.
The latest incident occurred on July 25, when the fishing vessel KMN Fatma Jaya 1 lost contact in waters west of Bawean Island in Gresik regency.
The vessel was carrying five fishermen: skipper Slamet Suudin, 50, and crew members Damar, 38, Lutfi, 37, Denis, 28, and Taufiq, 45.
According to authorities, the boat departed from Brondong Fishing Port in Lamongan regency on July 24.
The following day, Slamet contacted a Bawean resident, Hodiin, by radio to request assistance. However, communication was cut short, and the vessel has not been heard from since.
The fishermen's families reported the vessel missing to authorities on Tuesday, prompting a large-scale search and rescue operation involving the local search and rescue agency, police, fisheries officials and volunteers.
Head of the Surabaya Search and Rescue Agency (SAR), Nanang Sigit, said efforts to find the five missing fishermen had been hampered by severe weather conditions.
High waves, strong currents and strong winds forced the SAR team to suspend the physical search on Tuesday and Wednesday.
"Although the physical search was suspended, information about the missing KMN Fatma Jaya 1 continued to be broadcast to vessels operating in the area, asking them to report any sightings or indications of the boat," Nanang said on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the joint SAR team expanded its search area to waters north of Tuban and into Central Java waters after analysing ocean currents and wind patterns, which indicated that the vessel may have drifted towards the area.
The team also intensified the use of its e-broadcast system, which transmits information via the Inmarsat satellite network to vessels sailing near the search zone.
Just two days before the Fatma Jaya 1 went missing, another fishing boat capsized in rough waters off the coast of Situbondo regency on July 22.
The boat's only occupant, 49-year-old fisherman Kusnadi, survived for two days and two nights at sea by clinging to a fibreglass fish container lid.
He was carried by ocean currents before eventually washing ashore on Giliyang Island, Dungkek District, Sumenep regency, on the night of July 24.
Earlier in June, another fishing vessel, KMN Entok, disappeared while sailing in waters near the Kangean Islands in Sumenep regency, East Java.
The Entok departed from the Brondong Ocean Fishing Port in Lamongan on June 3 and has remained missing since.
It was captained by Siswanto, 45, and was carrying 19 crew members.
Wooden fishing boats such as the Entok typically spend no more than 18 days at sea before returning to port.
The vessel, however, failed to return within that timeframe.
Its last known communication was on June 8, when it briefly made contact with another fishing boat in the area.
The KMN Entok was officially reported missing on July 1, prompting authorities to launch a search and rescue operation.
The search was initially concentrated along the vessel's usual fishing routes around the Kangean Islands, Masalembu and Sumenep before being expanded northwards towards waters near Banjarmasin, Palangkaraya and Central Java.
Authorities also asked the families of the crew members to provide their phone numbers to support tracking efforts, while fishermen and passing vessels were encouraged to report any sightings or information that could help locate the missing boat.
Lamongan Search and Rescue coordinator Mukh. Fahruddin Arrazi said the search had been complicated by the vessel's lack of communication and navigation equipment, including a GPS tracker.
Despite weeks of search operations, rescuers have found no trace of the KMN Entok or its crew.
"So far, no wreckage or other objects have been found that could provide clues about the vessel's whereabouts," Fahruddin said.
July and August mark the peak of the high-wave season in East Java waters, driven by the Australian monsoon and swells from the Indian Ocean.
Wind speeds can exceed 20 knots, or around 37kph, while wave heights may reach up to two metres in some areas, including the Bali Strait.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned that the extreme conditions could pose risks to maritime transportation and coastal activities. - Jakarta Post/ANN
