Most Merak ferries fail safety standards

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

More than half the ferries sailing from Merak port in West Java to Sumatra island fail international safety standards.

Taufik Handriawan, chief of the Merak branch of PT ASDP, which operates river, lake and sea ferry transportation, said that 14 of the 24 ferries were made in 1970 and no longer met International Maritime Organization (IMO) safety standards.

"PT ASDP has requested the government replace the old ferries with new ones but ... it has yet to respond," he said.

The comments follow an investigation by the Banten provincial transportation and communication agency, which found that a ferry that broke down in Sunda Strait late Wednesday was cased by diesel fuel mixing with water.

The agency chief, Turmudzi, told The Jakarta Post on Friday that it would impose sanctions on ferry operator PT SP and the ship's captain, Abdullah Ali, for being careless in maintaining the ferry.

He said the case was being sent to the Ministry of Transportation for further investigation.

The Nusa Setia left Merak port for Bakauheni on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. with 270 passengers and 70 vehicles on board. However, it broke down and left passengers stranded for four hours.

The ferry was towed and arrived back at Merak port at 4 a.m. on Thursday.

However, a broken cargo door meant the vehicles could not be unloaded for a further seven hours.