Police name sunk ship's crew men as suspects

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra

Police said on Wednesday they had officially named two senior crew members of an overloaded ferry as suspects over the sinking of the boat in rough seas off North Sumatra province, leaving at least 28 people dead and 46 others missing and feared drowned.

The captain, Effendi Simatupang, and chief engineer Fendi Purba are being detained as suspects at the maritime police station in Tanjung Balai Asahan.

Asahan Police chief Sr. Comr. Umar Saptono said the mishap would not have occurred if the two senior crew members were stringent in ensuring that the boat was not filled over its maximum capacity of 60 passengers.

The KM Mutiara Indah ferry, packed with about 140 passengers, caught fire and sank early on Monday while sailing north from Tanjung Ledong on a five-hour trip to Tanjung Balai Asahan in North Sumatra.

The boat caught fire three hours after leaving Tanjung Ledong Harbor, when its cooling system failed to work properly and overheated, officials said.

The high temperatures caused the fuel tanks of at least three motorcycles in the hold to explode, they added.

The police had also arrested five other crew members, but did not charge them, Umar said.

He said survivors told investigators that the captain was negligent as he allowed the boat to carry passengers far over its capacity, while the chief engineer was also careless for not examining the engine room before the vessel departed.

"What they did was very dangerous, because it risked the lives of passengers, and on this basis, the police have declared them suspects," Umar told The Jakarta Post.

He said the police were searching for the owner of the ill- fated ship, identified only as Apeng, for questioning.

Apeng could also be named a suspect if investigators found that the boat was not fit to sail.

Meanwhile, rescue workers comprising police, maritime and customs officers, as well as local fishermen, continued the search on Wednesday for more survivors or bodies. A team from the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), which deployed a number of boats off Tanjung Balai Asahan, was also assisting in the search.

However, they were unable to find more survivors or bodies on Wednesday, as the search was hampered by bad weather.

"The wind is too strong, making it difficult for us to find more survivors," chief rescuer First Lt. Budi Wahyudi said.

On Tuesday, the team retrieved at least 20 bodies, bringing the total number of victims to 28.

Umar said the search would be abandoned after a period of seven days from Monday, but added that it could be extended at the request of the victims' families.

Meanwhile, North Sumatra's state-owned insurance company PT Jasa Raharja said it would compensate all affected passengers of the vessel upon presentation of their ferry tickets.

The families of victims would each receive Rp 10 million in compensation and those passengers who suffered injuries would each receive Rp 5 million for medical treatment, the company added.

The fatal accident was the second to occur in the waters off Tanjung Balai Asahan. A similar accident happened in 1978 when the KM Permos ferry capsized, leaving hundreds of passengers dead and missing.

Accidents at sea are common throughout the archipelago, where much travel is undertaken by ship. Most accidents involve overloaded vessels. Safety regulations are often ignored or poorly enforced, with shipowners frequently claiming their inability to afford maintenance or repairs.