The Denpasar District Court has sentenced the captain of the Bali\nDolphin Cruise 2, I Kadek Ariawan (28), to two years in prison after he\nwas proven negligent, causing the vessel he was steering to capsize and\nsink in the waters off Sanur. The sentence is 1.5 years lighter than the\nprosecution\u2019s demand.<\/p>\n
The accident, which occurred on 5 August 2025, killed three people:\ntwo Chinese foreign nationals, Yu Hanqing and Shi Guohong, and a crew\nmember, Kadek Adijaya Dinata.<\/p>\n
The verdict was read out by Presiding Judge Syahbuddin at a hearing\nat the Denpasar District Court on Tuesday (4\/8\/2026). The panel of\njudges found that Ariawan was proven negligent when operating the\nvessel, causing it to capsize and sink.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe defendant is proven guilty of a criminal act through negligence\nor carelessness, causing the ship under his command to capsize and sink,\nresulting in the deaths of three people,\u201d the judge stated during the\nhearing.<\/p>\n
The panel of judges declared that Ariawan was proven to have violated\nArticle 474 paragraph (3) of Law Number 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code\nin conjunction with Law Number 1 of 2026, as charged by the Public\nProsecutor of the Bali High Prosecutor\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n
Previously, prosecutors had sought a prison sentence of 3 years and 6\nmonths for Ariawan. In its considerations, the court noted that the\ndefendant\u2019s actions resulted in three deaths, which constituted an\naggravating factor.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, mitigating factors included the defendant\u2019s polite conduct\nthroughout the trial, his admission of guilt, forgiveness granted by the\nvictims\u2019 families, and compensation paid to the victims\u2019 families by his\nemployer.<\/p>\n
After the verdict was read out, both Ariawan and the prosecution said\nthey were still considering their options.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to think about it, Your Honour,\u201d said Ariawan.<\/p>\n
Overloaded and Entered Port Despite Large Waves<\/p>\n
In the indictment, prosecutors revealed that the accident began when\nthe Bali Dolphin Cruise 2 sailed from Banjar Nyuh Port in Nusa Penida\ntowards the Sanur Jetty.<\/p>\n
Ariawan was said not to have rechecked the number of passengers,\nrelying solely on a manifest recording 75 passengers. In fact, there\nwere 80 people on board, comprising 75 passengers and five crew members.\nFive passengers were not listed on the manifest, whilst eight passengers\nwere in the captain\u2019s cabin.<\/p>\n
As the vessel approached the entrance to Sanur Port at around 15.30\nCentral Indonesia Time, Ariawan reduced speed to wait for the waves to\nsubside. However, he still chose to enter the port channel before the\nlarge waves had calmed.<\/p>\n
As a result, the vessel was struck by a wave from behind, lost its\nbalance, capsized, and then sank.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors assessed that Ariawan, as an experienced captain, should\nhave understood the wave characteristics of the waters off Sanur and\nwaited until conditions were truly safe.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors also highlighted the overloading. Based on the ship\u2019s\nSafety Certificate, the Bali Dolphin Cruise 2 was only permitted to\ncarry a maximum of 75 passengers and five crew members.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the number of people on board reached 80. This\ncondition was deemed to have reduced the vessel\u2019s stability when struck\nby large waves.<\/p>\n
In addition, the defendant still issued a master sailing declaration\nstating the number of passengers as within the permitted limit. That\ndocument then served as the basis for the vessel obtaining clearance to\nsail.<\/p>\n
As a result of the accident, three people died. Based on post-mortem\nresults, all the victims died from drowning and submersion in water.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/boat-captain-sentenced-to-two-years-for-sanur-sinking-that-killed-three-1785833499", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }