Captains declared suspects over fatal collision in Java Sea

Captains declared suspects over fatal collision in Java Sea

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

The captains of two ships that collided in waters off Gresik
regency, East Java, last month are being detained as suspects in
the accident, in which three people died, officials said on
Wednesday.

The two captains, Luh Jin You of Taiwan and Harijono of
Indonesia, could have their captain's licenses revoked if they
are found guilty of negligence that led to the deadly collision,
head of East Java's sea traffic office I Nyoman Gede Saputra said
at Tanjung Perak Port, Surabaya.

"The harshest sentence that could be handed down is the
revocation of their licenses and the imposing of fines if they
are found guilty by the Maritime Court," he said.

On Sept. 26, three people died and 16 others injured after
cargo ship the Uni Glory rammed into passenger ship KM Mandiri
Nusantara off the coast of Gresik.

The three dead people -- Fitri, 6, her mother Sundari, 50, and
Iwan Gunawan, 30 -- were passengers of KM Mandiri Nusantara.

Rescue teams had to use heavy equipment to cut through the
wreckage of the passenger ship to recover their bodies, which
were found under metal debris.

Five of the injured are still being treated at Dr. Sutomo
General Hospital and the Surabaya harbor hospital for severe
injuries.

Chief of East Java's water police directorate Adj. Sr. Comr.
Rudy Kussoy said the two charged captains had been held at his
office since last Friday.

The charges followed the questioning of on-duty navigation
officers and engineers of the ships, he added.

"There is sufficient evidence to detain them as suspects,"
Rudy said, adding that the Taiwanese representative office in
Jakarta had been advised of the Taiwanese captain's predicament.

However, Nyoman questioned the legality of the water police
charging the captains.

"Why so fast. As far as I know, the water police have no
authority to declare them suspects. The charges should be based
on an investigation by port authorities, the National
Transportation Accident Committee (KNKT) and the Maritime Court,"
he argued.

Nyoman said it was unfitting that the water police had decided
to lay charges.

"Perhaps they used the Criminal Code for the basis of their
decision. But the proper agency to handle such an accident is the
Maritime Court."

He said an adverse reaction by the international shipping
community to a deviation in procedure could affect Indonesia's
maritime affairs.

"The maritime world has the same regulations on shipping.
That's why the Maritime Court should handle this case," Nyoman
said.

KM Mandiri Nusantara, which travels between Balikpapan and
Surabaya, was on its way to Tanjung Perak Port, while the Uni
Glory had just set sail from the Surabaya container terminal when
the accident occurred.

The collision left a 20-meter-long gash on the starboard side
of the passenger ship, while the cargo ship escaped any major
damage. Vehicles and cargo aboard the passenger ship could be
seen through the gash.