Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Commander of the Banten Naval Base, Lieutenant\nCommander Wawan Subagyo Mardani, stated that the adjustment of the\nsearch area for the missing speedboat carrying eight passengers in the\nSunda Strait, Pandeglang, is based on modelling of the current dynamics\nof direction and speed.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a press conference at the Joint SAR Main Post at Carita\nBeach, Pandeglang, on Tuesday evening, he explained that, based on those\nconsiderations, the search area narrowed from 4,586 nautical miles (NM)\nto 3,962 NM on the eighth day, and not for any other reason.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe area calculation narrowed slightly based on the SAR MAP\nmodelling carried out by our colleagues at Basarnas, compared with data\nfrom the Navy\u2019s Hydro-Oceanography Centre, or Pushidrosal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The modelling, based on hydro-oceanographic data and Basarnas\u2019 SAR\nMAP, provides an indication of the probable trend of sea current\nmovements, allowing the search for the target, which is believed to have\ndrifted, to be focused on the most accurate sectors.<\/p>\n
According to the Basarnas map, the eighth day of the SAR operation\ninvolved 20 main SAR vessels divided across six sectors (A-F). Each\nsector covers the islands and waters around Mount Anak Krakatau,\nspanning the provinces of Banten and Lampung, and reaching as far as\nBengkulu.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe characteristics of the currents in the waters of the Sunda\nStrait around Mount Anak Krakatau are dynamic and continuously change in\ndirection and speed every hour, extending to the Indian Ocean\n(south-west of Enggano),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
However, in the area closest to Mount Anak Krakatau, still within the\nSunda Strait, conditions were reported to be fairly conducive, with\nwaves of only around 0.5-0.75 metres, allowing all planned actions to be\ncarried out properly.<\/p>\n
Mardani noted that, given these conditions, personnel were able to\napproach closer to Rakata and Sertung islands using the Sea Reader from\nthe KN SAR Tetuka.<\/p>\n
This approach was considered important in order to verify reports of\nthe suspected presence of the Arupadhatu 1 speedboat being sought,\nalthough the results were nil.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy do we say the results were nil? Because the object was not\nvisible at all. The target we are searching for is a speedboat with a\nwhite hull, including a white deck. It was not visible whatsoever,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/search-area-for-missing-journalists-follows-sunda-strait-current-modelling-1789487699", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }