Navy ship collides with freighter in Java sea

SURABAYA (JP): One person is missing after the Pulau Ratewo warship collided with the Iris Masaudi freighter in Karang Jamuan waters off Gresik, East Java, on Tuesday, witnesses said on Thursday.

Tanjung Perak Port Police chief Lt. Col. Widjaja Purbaja confirmed the incident, but declined to elaborate.

The reports claim the missing person is a crew member of the naval warship, while 54 other crew members are safe. Twenty of them were rescued by a vessel belonging to PT Kadeco, 33 others saved by the Berlian and another crew member by a coast guard boat.

It was reported that the Pulau Ratewo, a ship from the Eastern Naval Base fleet, had just returned from a routine operation in Madura and Ujung, Surabaya.

The freighter was flying the Bahamian flag.

Spokesman for the Eastern Naval Base Command Lt. Col. Ditya Soedarsono was not available for comment on Thursday.

Navy sources told Antara on Thursday that the warship had anchored outside the port on Tuesday night.

"The Pulau Ratewo was probably hit by the freighter when it was anchoring," the officer, who asked for anonymity, told the news agency. The freighter, which was chartered by Jakarta-based PT Pelayaran Adiraksa Sentosa Jaya, was carrying 12,000 tons of corn from China. (nur/sur)