After Several Ship Accidents, Transport Minister Strengthens Maritime Safety System
Minister of Transport Dudy Purwagandhi has affirmed the Ministry of Transport’s commitment to continuously evaluate and thoroughly improve maritime safety. He made the statement during a working meeting with House Commission V regarding the government’s explanation of several ship accidents at the DPR RI Building, Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday (19/8/2026).
According to Dudy, safety must not only become a concern after an accident occurs, but must be ensured at every stage of the journey, from when the ship prepares to depart until all passengers arrive safely at their destination.
“Safety must not only become a concern after an accident occurs; it must be ensured before the ship departs, while the ship is sailing, and until all passengers arrive safely at their destination,” said Dudy.
During the meeting, the government presented the handling and evaluation of four incidents that have drawn attention: KMP Mutiara Sentosa II, KMP Putri Yasmin, KLM Nurul Salsa 01, and KM Prince Soya. Minister Dudy again expressed his condolences to the victims and their families. He stressed that the government’s presence before House Commission V was a form of accountability as well as a commitment to make improvements.
“Our presence is a form of government accountability to convey the handling that has been carried out as well as the evaluation and improvement measures that are being and will be implemented,” Dudy continued.
Dudy emphasised that safety evaluation must not stop at document completeness and fulfilment of administrative requirements. Inspections must be able to ensure that the safety system truly works and is ready to face emergency conditions in the field.
“Complete documents do not make us stop at the administrative aspect. These incidents actually serve as a basis for us to evaluate more deeply the effectiveness of the implementation of the safety system on board ships, particularly fire protection systems, crew preparedness, vehicle and cargo conditions, and the ability to respond to emergencies,” said Dudy.
Dudy explained that the evaluation of these incidents covers various important aspects, including the reliability of fire protection systems, access to survival craft, emergency response readiness, and the crew’s ability to control emergency situations. The evaluation also targets the supervision of traditional vessels, manifest accuracy, carrying capacity, readiness of safety equipment and supervision of ship departures, as well as the implementation of hot work permits, identification of hazardous materials, fire watch, and supervision of maintenance work on board ships.
As part of the overhaul, Dudy continued, the Ministry of Transport is strengthening multi-layered accident prevention, from regulation, self-inspection, vehicle and cargo screening, spot checks, to the final decision before a Sailing Approval Letter (SPB) is issued. He said supervision is also carried out through audits, inspections, ramp checks, operational and seaworthiness checks, accident investigations, action against non-compliance, and law enforcement.
“Every finding must be followed up. If a major deficiency is found, the departure must be postponed or the ship must not sail,” Dudy stressed.