Joint SAR team evacuates eight crew from sunken ship in Central Maluku waters

Ambon (ANTARA) - A joint SAR team has evacuated eight crew members of the motor vessel (KM) Teluk Bara, which sank in the waters off Tanjung Alang, Leihitu Barat District (Ambon Island), Central Maluku Regency, after they were earlier found adrift at sea by a New Zealand-flagged vessel.

“The joint SAR team successfully rescued eight crew members who were transporting building materials, after the vessel sank in the waters off Tanjung Alang,” said Head of the Basarnas Ambon Office Muhamad Arafah in Ambon, Maluku, on Saturday.

The report originated from information provided by a resident named Isjon Siwalette to Basarnas Ambon at around 07.35 local time (WIT), stating that a wooden vessel had sunk in the waters off Tanjung Alang since morning and requesting assistance.

“Using a Rigid Buoyancy Boat (RBB), the Basarnas Ambon Rescue Team was deployed at around 07.50 WIT to the scene at coordinates 3°47’3.39”S - 127°59’40.85”E, approximately 16 nautical miles away on a heading of 235° south-west from the BRIN Ambon pier,” he said.

The search efforts only reached a breakthrough at around 11.06 WIT when the Basarnas Ambon land team, together with residents of Alang Village, received information that not far from the location where KM Teluk Bara sank, a yacht was also seen circling the site several times.

“To verify this information, the Basarnas Ambon RBB team was dispatched to the yacht to coordinate, and at around 11.26 WIT the Ambon SAR Office RBB team successfully reached the yacht and found all the victims safe on board,” he said.

Arafah said that after the team coordinated with the yacht, it was learned that the eight victims had been found and evacuated by the New Zealand-flagged yacht Salty Dogz, which was to take them to Ambon City.

However, upon arriving at Tanjung Alang, the vessel was struck by high waves, causing the wooden planks at the bottom of the ship to come loose. It took on water and eventually sank, and all the crew managed to jump into the sea to save themselves.

After drifting and surviving for several hours on the water’s surface with the help of wooden planks and a water jerry can, at around 10.00 WIT the victims were found and evacuated by the crew of the New Zealand-flagged yacht Salty Dogz.

The eight victims were then evacuated by the RBB team to the KN SAR Abimanyu and taken to the BRIN Ambon pier to be handed over to their families.