Police Question 21 Witnesses Over Suspected Overloading in KM Nurul Salsa Sinking

South Sulawesi Police are continuing their investigation into the alleged negligence that led to the sinking of KM Nurul Salsa. A total of 21 witnesses have been questioned to determine the exact cause of the maritime incident.

“In this investigation process, we have examined 21 witnesses,” said South Sulawesi Police Public Relations Head, Commissioner Didik Supranoto, during a press statement on Wednesday (22/7).

Didik stated that the witnesses examined included the ship’s captain, crew members (ABK), the shipping agent, and the harbormaster (Syahbandar). “The investigation is still ongoing, so no suspects have been named and no one has been detained yet,” he revealed.

Didik disclosed that preliminary examination results indicate the KM Nurul Salsa sank due to suspected overloading. According to the manifest data, the recorded number of passengers was only 45 people. However, the identification of victims and field reports showed that 76 people were on board the vessel at the time of the incident.

Regarding the ship’s permits and seaworthiness, Didik noted that this falls under the authority of the harbormaster. Nevertheless, the police have coordinated with the harbormaster’s office during the investigation process.

“This is the authority of the permit issuer or the harbormaster, not the police. We will coordinate with the harbormaster and relevant agencies to ascertain whether the vessel met the seaworthiness requirements or not,” he said.

In this investigation, the police are preparing to apply Article 474 paragraph (2) of the Criminal Code (KUHP), Article 551 letter a of the Criminal Code, and Article 20 of the Criminal Code. “However, the specific articles to be applied will be adjusted based on the level of fault of each party once the entire investigation is complete,” he concluded.