Maintaining Hope in the Sunda Strait
A signal from one of the mobile numbers belonging to five photojournalists and three crew members aboard the speedboat Arupadundhatu 1 was briefly detected on Sebesi Island, Lampung. This information was received by the SAR team on the second day of the search, Wednesday, 9 September 2026. However, after sweeping the island, the whereabouts of the eight individuals remain unknown.
“The exact time was not detected. It only indicated that the real-time position of the number was in Sebesi,” said the Head of the Banten SAR Office, Al Amrad, when interviewed at the SAR post in Pandeglang on Friday, 11 September 2026.
The five missing photojournalists are M Bagus Khoirunnas from Antara, Arie Basuki from Merdeka, Yudistiro Pranoto from iNews, Firman Daus from Anadolu Agency, and Donal Husni, a freelance journalist. The crew consists of Warta as captain, Surakman as crew member, and Heriyanto as guide.
The signal in Sebesi is one of the points being inspected by the SAR team. However, this information does not necessarily mean the number is still active or that the owner is on the island; it could be a false signal or an invalid detection.
The Head of Public Relations for the Banten Regional Police, Kombes Maruli Ahiles Hutapea, explained that they are not tracking the real-time position or current monitoring, but rather the last transmission while the device was still active.
“Essentially, to ensure we are not mistaken, the mobile phones (of the missing journalists and crew) were active during the last communication,” Maruli told detikX.
That last transmission occurred on Monday, 7 September 2026, before the group heading towards Mount Anak Krakatau lost contact. Since then, there has been no further active mobile usage or communication with their families.
“After that, we lost contact with their families. They have lost contact. Because of this loss of contact, their colleagues and relatives came to the search post,” he said.
Furthermore, the last known coordinates of the group heading to Anak Krakatau were 6°10’40.52”S 105°40’49.48”E. This coordinate was obtained from one of the photojournalists who sent their current location to a colleague at 14:42 WIB. The point is approximately 20 kilometres from the Java (Banten) coast and about 30 km from Rakata Island (Krakatau).
This point serves as the basis for the initial sweep by the joint SAR team, commanded by Basarnas. The search zone continues to expand. The team is calculating the potential movement of objects in the sea by observing currents, wind, and waves.
The search operation began on Tuesday, 8 September 2026. Information regarding Arupadhatu 1 was received by the Banten SAR Office at 13:55 WIB. Twenty minutes later, one vessel moved along the route towards Mount Anak Krakatau.
The first sweep ended without results. The vessel returned to the post around 18:15 WIB.
That night, KN SAR Tetuka moved from Bandar Bakau Jaya Pier towards the incident site. The vessel returned and docked in Ciwandan at 21:42 WIB.
Results from the first day of searching prompted the team to expand the operational area. The Navy, Marine Police, Port Authority and Harbormaster (KSOP), local communities, Banten SAR Office, and Lampung SAR Office have all been mobilised.
The number of vessels increased from 11 on Thursday to 12 on Friday. Areas including Great Krakatau Island, Panjang Island, Sertung Island, and Sebesi Island are also included in the search zone.
The team is using SAR map prediction to estimate the movement of objects at sea, incorporating wind direction, currents, and waves.
“Including the shift in currents, wind, and waves,” Amrad explained regarding the basis for the prediction map.
Aerial searches have also been conducted. On Thursday, helicopters swept from the eastern side of Mount Anak Krakatau towards the west. Fog caused limited visibility, while ongoing volcanic activity prevented helicopters from approaching too closely.
From Ujung Kulon to the region between Lampung and Banten, areas have been searched. Weather conditions remain a challenge as wind and wave directions can change throughout the day. However, no significant traces have been found yet.
Blurred Traces
After several days of searching, the first traces appeared in the form of various objects found floating in the ocean. On Thursday, 10 September 2026, the third day of the search, KAL Anyer and the SAR team found unidentified life jackets in the waters west of Anyer, near Cikoneng-Labuan.
A day later, Friday, 11 September 2026, another orange life jacket was found by KAL Anyer on the eastern side of Anak Krakatau. Both were inspected to confirm any connection to the missing vessel.
Investigations showed that these life jackets were not part of the equipment on the Arupadhatu 1. The found life jackets used zippers, whereas Arupadhatu 1 only provided clip-on life jackets.
“The results of the inspection and interrogation of Mr Sandi, the vessel owner, show that neither Arupadhatu 1 nor Arupadhatu II uses life jackets like the ones found. Therefore, they do not belong to the missing Arupadhatu 1,” stated Banten Regional Police Chief Irjen Hengky, as quoted by detikcom.
Other findings emerged as the search area widened. On Saturday, 12 September, KN SAR Tetuka found a blue jerrycan, a red helmet, and two orange life jackets marked “MILLES.II” near the waters of Rakata Island.
These items were cross-referenced with the equipment of KM Arupadhatu 1. As a result, the Banten Regional Police confirmed that the jerrycan, helmet, and two life jackets did not belong to the vessel carrying the five journalists and three crew members.
On the following day, more findings appeared in several sectors. The team found life jackets, two tarpaulins, and a water gallon. These items were further examined as their origin was not immediately known.
Subsequent investigations by the Banten Regional Police confirmed that the three life jackets, two tarpaulins, and the gallon found on the sixth day also did not belong to the group.