KM Nurul Salsa Survivor Recounts Helping to Repair Pump Before Vessel Sank

Andi Samad (62), one of the survivors of the sinking of the KM Nurul Salsa, has recounted the final moments before the vessel went down in the waters off the Selayar Islands, South Sulawesi. The ship lost power after being battered by high waves, forcing passengers to survive at sea for days before six of them were evacuated by a rescue team on the fourth day after the incident.

“The ship was hit by waves over three metres high until the main engine died in the middle of the ocean,” Andi Samad told reporters at the KH Hayyung Selayar Regional General Hospital on Wednesday (22/7). The incident occurred on Wednesday (15/7) at around 05:00 WITA. After losing power, the crew dropped anchor to hold the vessel’s position. “However, with the ship stationary amidst large waves, seawater kept entering the lower part of the hull. The situation worsened when the diesel-powered water pump used to drain the water became clogged,” he explained.

Knowing that Andi Samad had the skills to repair engines, the crew asked him for help. He said the ship’s engine was even briefly restarted, but the effort was not enough to save the vessel. “Because too much water had already entered, the pump could no longer drain the flooding inside the hull. Then the engine died completely again,” he said. Realising the ship’s condition was becoming critical, Andi Samad began preparing for the worst. He told his wife, Sitti Amang (55), to remain calm and prepare to save herself. “I tried to calm my wife so she wouldn’t panic and would stay composed,” he said.

Amid the panic of other passengers, Andi Samad chose not to jump into the sea immediately, still hoping a passing ship might provide assistance. “Before it sank, I saw the ship’s body continuously tilting to the left until it nearly capsized,” he said. Before finally jumping, Andi Samad asked his wife to prepare pieces of styrofoam to make an emergency raft. Once it was ready, they jumped into the sea using the styrofoam. “I asked my wife to prepare styrofoam as an emergency raft before we jumped into the sea. But as we were moving away, I was hit by a broken wooden beam from the ship,” he revealed.

After reaching a safe distance from the KM Nurul Salsa, Andi Samad, his wife, and three other passengers—Bau Asseng (23), Diska Yanti (7), and Sri Ardita (17)—survived the suction current as the ship sank. From that moment, they had to survive for four days adrift at sea before being found by a rescue team. On Wednesday (22/7), the joint SAR team continued searching for other victims of the KM Nurul Salsa, focusing on the Sabalana Islands region and extending towards West Nusa Tenggara waters. “Based on our analysis of ocean current data used as an operational reference, there is a potential for drifting objects to move towards West Nusa Tenggara waters,” said the Head of Operations and Alert for the Makassar Search and Rescue Agency, Andi Sultan.