Sailor's fate uncertain

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

Some 15 crew members of the Kawan Kita VII have been missing at sea since Dec. 22, when their vessel sank in the waters off Kalimantan, and their fate is still unknown, an official said on Thursday.

Arifin Soenardjo, a senior official at Tanjung Priok harbor, said there were two possibilities -- that the 15 sailors sank along with their ship or were saved and taken aboard by passing ships.

He said the ship sank while it was on its way from Batu Licin seaport, South Kalimantan, to Celukan Bawang seaport, Bali.

"The ship, which was carrying 22 tons of cement, was hit by a 4-meter-high wave and sank about 20 miles off Kalimbau Island in South Kalimantan," he said, adding that the last contact with the ship was at 10 p.m. on Dec. 22.

The missing crew included the captain of the ship, Hariyanto.

"We haven't heard any news about the fate of the crew. The least we could do was order other ships cruising the area to help find the missing sailors," he said.