Pelni Ambon Enhances Crew Capabilities Through Top Drill
AMBON - PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Pelni) Ambon branch has conducted ‘Top Drill’, an emergency response simulation involving coordination between central management, branch offices, and field personnel or crew members on board, as an effort to strengthen civil maritime safety.
The Acting Head of the Fleet Division of Pelni Ambon, Akhmad Jamalullail, stated in Ambon on Friday that the activity aims to train the skills of the crew, particularly in decision-making, communication, and coordination when facing emergency situations on board.
“Maritime safety does not only depend on the completeness of equipment, but also on the readiness of personnel, the speed of decision-making, the clarity of communication, and good coordination between the ship and all relevant agencies,” he said.
He explained that Top Drill was carried out with several emergency scenarios, including handling fires on board and managing man-overboard situations.
In the fire simulation, the crew was trained to perform initial responses to fire sources, activate emergency procedures, conduct communication and coordination among the crew, and ensure passenger safety. Meanwhile, in the man-overboard scenario, the crew practised rapid and coordinated rescue actions to locate and evacuate victims.
“The hope is that activities like this can become a routine, so that the crew’s ability and preparedness improve when facing actual emergency conditions,” he added.
Akhmad noted that the implementation of Top Drill also serves as a means to test coordination between the crew and agencies related to maritime safety and security. The activity involved Pelni, the Ambon Harbour Master and Port Authority (KSOP), the Navigation District, the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), and the Maluku Health Quarantine Office.
According to him, the involvement of various agencies is necessary because handling maritime emergencies requires an integrated response, ranging from initial actions on the ship to support for searching, rescuing, and medical handling if there are victims.
In addition to exercises for fire and man-overboard situations, safety procedures on the Pangrango Passenger Ship also include preparedness for conditions requiring passengers to abandon ship. The Pangrango is a vessel manufactured by PT PAL Indonesia Surabaya, measuring 74 metres in length and 15.2 metres in width, featuring five decks.
The ship is equipped with various safety devices, such as alarms, hydrants, sprinklers, smoke detectors, portable fire extinguishers, watertight doors, and emergency doors. To support evacuation processes, the ship possesses four lifeboats, 21 life rafts, and two evacuation systems. The vessel is also equipped with various types of life jackets for passengers, children, infants, and crew members.
He added that safety training must be conducted periodically so that every crew member understands their respective duties and responsibilities during an emergency. “The most important thing is how the entire crew understands the procedures, is able to communicate well, and moves quickly according to their duties when an emergency occurs,” he concluded.