Pregnant Wife of KM Sentosa 2 Passenger Awaits News in Makassar
Martina kept a tight grip on her mobile phone ever since receiving news that the ship carrying her husband had run into trouble on the open sea. She hoped to hear her husband’s voice on the line, even though his phone was no longer active as she tried repeatedly to reach him.
At six months pregnant, she had to face the worst possible news: KM Mutiara Sentosa 2, the vessel her husband Jamaludin was travelling on, had caught fire in the waters north of Madura.
By late afternoon on Sunday (2 August), confirmation came not from the ship’s operator but from a wild video recording sent by a fellow driver, showing that Jamaludin had been evacuated. In the short clip, Jamaludin is seen standing on the deck of the rescue vessel, having been successfully evacuated from the site of the fire.
Unfortunately, as of Monday (3 August), she still felt uneasy, as direct communication had yet to be re-established.
The atmosphere at their simple stilt house in Walawalaya subdistrict, Talo district, Makassar, became a silent space for Martina, who remained deeply anxious. Her husband, Jamaludin, was one of 19 expedition lorry drivers escorting cargo vehicles to Makassar aboard the ill-fated ship.
“Since morning I’ve been trying to call him, but the phone kept going dead. There was no signal at all,” said Martina, her voice trembling, when met at her home on Monday (3 August).
Jamaludin is still aboard the rescue vessel, currently bound for Surabaya rather than returning to Makassar.
“A friend travelling in the same vehicle as my husband does have an active phone, so I keep asking him for updates. But I still haven’t heard my husband’s voice myself,” she added.
Although her husband’s life is now assured, Martina’s inner struggle is not over. On one hand, she is deeply grateful that the baby she is carrying could still hear the news that its father had survived.
KM Mutiara Sentosa 2 was reported to have caught fire on Sunday morning (2 August). The vessel, sailing from Surabaya to Makassar, encountered the incident in the waters of Sumenep Regency, East Java. As of 09.41 WIB on Monday (3 August), the Surabaya SAR Office reported that the incident had claimed five lives, with 229 people surviving.
Jasa Raharja has been coordinating with the Kalianget Harbourmaster and Port Authority Office (KSOP), the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) and the Sumenep District Police.
The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) deployed the State Vessel (KN) SAR 249 Permadi to support the evacuation of passengers from KM Mutiara Santosa 2.
The Ministry of Transportation, through its Directorate General of Sea Transportation, has been carrying out intensive coordination in handling the fire incident aboard KM Mutiara Sentosa II.