TUNU PRATAMA JAYA

scrapped

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Recovery plans facing challenges

The plan to recover the KNP ÄTunu Pratama Jaya'Ä was announced after the joint search and rescue team confirmed the location of the wreck of the sunken vessel, The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) would coordinate with port authorities and the Transportation Ministry regarding the next stage of the recovery of victims from the wreck. The operation to recover the wreck had passed the administrative phase, marked by local seaport authorities informing operators about the plan. The Tanjung Perak Seaport in Surabaya, East Java, had also notified ships in Ketapang Seaport in Banyuwangi to avoid the last known position of the ferry. After that, relevant agencies would dispatch technical teams to draft a plan to raise the wreck. The operation to recover the wreck would meet several challenges, ranging from weather to the strong current in the strait with the surface current being faster than 0.8 knots. Divers were immediately swept by the current. The wreck was located approximately 3.9 kilometers from the site of the accident by a drone operated by the Indonesian Navy’s hydro-oceanographic support vessel KRI 'Spica'. The discovery came after four underwater search attempts, which were hindered by strong currents. A preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) found that the likely cause of the sinking was the crew’s failure to close the engine room door before leaving port. Investigators had questioned surviving crew and passengers and discovered that seawater first entered the ferry through an open engine room door located on the lower deck. The hatch to the engine room should have remained closed at all times while the ship was sailing. It was still investigated whether the vessel was overloaded at the time of the accident by the KNKT Maritime Safety Subcommittee. A team of investigators from the East Java Police's Marine and Air (Polairud) Directorate and Banyuwangi police precinct was conducting the probe. To support the investigation, the Polairud team applied a scientific crime investigation approach and side-scan sonar to map the wreck of the vessel which was resting upside down on the seabed of the Bali Strait.

Another body found off Pengambengan village - search scaled down

On July 12 a fisherman has found another female body about four kilometers off the beach of the Pengambengan village, in the waters off the Jembrana Regency, Bali, suspected of being a passenger of the KMP 'Tunu Pratama Jaya'. The body was taken to the station in Pabuahan hamlet, Banyubiru village, by the joint SAR team.and then taken to Blambangan Hospital in Banyuwangi Regency for identification, on order of the Jembrana Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD). The body had black pants, a black T-shirt on her left leg, and a gold bracelet on her left hand. The Indonesian rescuers on July 14 scaled down a search, which had involved around 500 people, including rescuers, police, and military personnel, for 17 people still missing. A provincial-level team will continue to search for the missing people for the next seven days. The East Java search agency will search with around 100 personnel to be involvedActually 18 people were confirmed dead with 30 survivors. All passengers were Indonesian except for one Malaysian who was among the fatalities. Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said that plans were underway to salvage the ferry, which was found roughly 3.9km from its last known position. The ferry’s location was officially confirmed on July 12, when divers using modified equipment captured clear images of the overturned wreck on their third attempt, showing the ship’s name, hull and ramp. The search had started on July 9, involving the Navy and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas). The hydro-oceanographic survey vessel KRI 'Spica-934' detected an underwater object at a depth of 50 metres. Follow-up scans confirmed the object matched the ferry’s dimensions, but an attempt on July 11 to inspect it with a ROV was hindered by strong currents.

Death toll rose to 15 with 20 still missing

The death toll from the sinking of the 'Tunz Partama Jaya' in the Bali Strait has risen to 15 as of July 10, while the search continued for 20 people still missing by the East Java Search and Rescue Office. Two bodies were found on the morning and another on the evening of July 9. The SAR operations were launched from both Bali Island and East Java, as the incident occurred near the maritime boundary between the two regions. Harsh weather had posed significant challenges to the rescue efforts as visibility had decreased from 10 kilometres to only three kilometers on several occasions, waves reached heights of 2.5 metres, and strong winds were present in the area. The investigation by Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) was focusing on several key areas, including whether proper procedures were followed for the ship's departure, the seaworthiness of the vessel, the completeness of its documentation, and how the emergency response was carried out when the accident occurred. The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) had also issued a warning about the threat of extreme weather conditions following the accident. The East Java police's disaster victim identification (DVI) team announced on July 10 that a Malaysian national was among the victims of the sinking. He was identified as Fauzey Bin Awang, 58, which was confirmed through the DVI team's medical examination, as well as the victim's wallet and identity card. He was identified along with two other recovered bodies, who were identified as Noval Hardiansyah, 15, a resident of Banyuwangi, East Java; and Sofyan Wibowo, 18, a resident of Susukan Sub-district, Banjarnegara, Central Java. The fourth body, that of a woman found on Plengkung Beach in the Alas Purwo National Park area, Tegaldlimo Sub-district, Banyuwangi District, East Java, on Huly 10, has not yet been identified.