Palu (ANTARA) - The Palu Search and Rescue (SAR) Office in Central\nSulawesi has placed personnel and the KN SAR Baladewa 238 on standby to\nsupport the search operation for the Virgo Transport 8, which lost\ncontact in the Java Sea on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the time being, the nearest SAR Office teams are moving first.\nFollowing instructions from the Head of the Palu SAR Office, we are\nready to assist if we receive orders from the National Basarnas\nheadquarters,\u201d said Fatmawati, Spokesperson for the Palu SAR Office,\nwhen contacted in Palu on Sunday.<\/p>\n
She stated that, based on leadership instructions, personnel and\nprimary search and rescue equipment have been mobilised and are\ncurrently awaiting further orders from Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Similarly, the KN SAR Baladewa 238 has been stationed at the\nIndonesian Navy Base (Lanal) Palu port in the Palu Bay area.<\/p>\n
\u201cLogistics for the Palu SAR Office are ready. We are awaiting further\ndevelopments,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
The Head of the Banjarmasin Class A Search and Rescue Office, acting\nas SAR Mission Coordinator, I Putu Sudayana, stated that the vessel was\nreported to have lost contact around 02:00 WITA, after previously\nencountering bad weather conditions during its journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last known position of the ship was received at approximately 80\nnautical miles from the Basirih SAR Pier, Banjarmasin,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Banjarmasin Class A Search and Rescue Office received the report\nregarding the loss of contact at 04:10 WITA from the General Manager of\nPT Virgo, Yoel Rihi, after the vessel was known to have departed from\nSurabaya on Saturday (12\/9) at 10:13 GMT.<\/p>\n
The agency is optimising the deployment of personnel and search\nfacilities because the vessel is carrying a large number of passengers\nand crew, whose safety is the priority of the SAR operation.<\/p>\n
The operation includes maximising coordination with all relevant\nparties to accelerate the search process and ensure the safety of all\npassengers and crew, while weather conditions in the search area\ncontinue to be monitored.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe urge the public and the passengers\u2019 families to remain calm and\nawait official information from officers. The joint SAR team continues\nto monitor and search based on developments in the field,\u201d said Putu\nSudayana.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/palu-sar-office-deploys-kn-sar-to-support-search-for-virgo-transport-8-1789289964", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }