RI seas prone to accidents

SEMARANG: Being an archipelagic country, Indonesian waters are prone to ship accidents, Minister of Communications Giri Suseno said here on Friday.

"In a bid to curb the number of sea accidents, we have conducted policies on management, maintenance and development of navigational facilities," Giri said on the sidelines of the launching of the KN Altair and KN Antares ships.

Sea accidents in the country have claimed hundreds of lives and inflicted huge losses, mostly due to a lack of navigational guidance.

In the most recent accident, a traditional fishing boat was struck by a tanker in the waters off Batam island.

Giri said various navigational assistant devices are being developed and installed across the country.

The government has built a total of 1,125 lighthouses. No less than 379 others belong to various institutions. (har/edt)