Navy ship collides with freighter in Java sea

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)