Indonesian Navy Finds Life Jacket During Search for Missing Journalists; Ship Owner Confirms It Is Not Theirs

The Banten Naval Base (Lanal) together with a joint SAR team discovered an unidentified life jacket in the waters west of Anyer during the search operation for five journalists and three crew members who lost contact near Mount Anak Krakatau. In addition to the life jacket, the field team also found items resembling canisters or bottles commonly used by local fishermen.

Following the discovery of the life jacket, a fisherman named Dani, who participated in the search on Thursday, stated that the float was not from the vessel Arupadhatu 1. “I stopped briefly at Legon Sage and then travelled to Panjang Island, circling the entire area. From there, I crossed to Serdang Island and circled everything, but there were no signs. I even found a life jacket, but it does not belong to Arupadhatu 1. It belongs to another vessel; there is evidence of that there,” he said, as quoted from a YouTube broadcast on Friday, 11 September 2026.

This was also confirmed by the owner of the Arupadhatu 1, Sandi Winaya. Speaking to the media, Sandi Winaya ensured that the discovered life jacket was not part of the equipment on his ship, a fact he verified through the ship’s captain. “I confirmed with the second captain earlier; he said it does not belong to Arupadhatu 1,” Sandi told reporters on Thursday, 10 September 2026.

According to Sandi, the colour of the life jackets available on the Arupadhatu 1 differs from the one found by the Navy team. He noted that the life jackets on his vessel are red and bright green, whereas in the circulating photos, the life jacket found by the Navy team is orange.

Previously, the Commander of Lanal Banten, Lieutenant Colonel Wawan Subagyo Mardani, reported the findings of the suspected life jacket and floating bottles during the search for the five journalists and three crew members missing near Mount Anak Krakatau. Wawan explained that an identification process is currently underway to determine any connection to the missing journalists or crew members.

“Whether the results of the identification are correct or not, let us all be patient and wait for the results. Therefore, there should be no speculation, and it is hoped that no one makes statements before the official identification results of the findings are obtained,” Lieutenant Colonel Wawan stated in Pandeglang on Thursday night.