Ship Sinks in North Sumatra's Tanjung Api Waters: 21 Rescued, 2 Still Missing
The KM Mitra Jaya vessel sank in the waters of Tanjung Api, Asahan Regency, North Sumatra, after experiencing a leak and being struck by high waves. Out of the total 23 people on board, 21 managed to save themselves, while two others are still being searched for.
The Head of the Information Service of Koarmada I, Navy Colonel (P) Wahyu Kurniawan, stated that the incident occurred on Tuesday (2/6) at approximately 19:00 WIB. The ship was reported to have developed a leak in the waters around Tanjung Api while sailing.
According to Wahyu, the crew attempted to save the ship using Alkon pumps to reduce the amount of water entering the hull. However, the rapid influx of water rendered these efforts unsuccessful. “Efforts were made using Alkon pumps, but they were insufficient. Within about 15 minutes, the ship sank,” he said on Friday (5/6).
Twenty-one crew members successfully rescued themselves and have returned to their respective homes. Meanwhile, the two individuals still declared missing are Kahwi (60), the ship’s captain, and Jamil, one of the crew members.
Upon receiving the report, a joint team immediately moved to the location to conduct search and rescue operations. The search involves personnel from the Sei Berombang TNI AL Post of Lanal Tanjungbalai Asahan, Basarnas Tanjungbalai, Polairud, the Sea and Coast Guard (KPLP), and local fishermen.
As of Friday (5/6), the team is still conducting sweeps around the incident site, but the two victims have not yet been found. “Search operations are ongoing, but so far, the two victims have not been located. The search was temporarily halted and will resume the following day,” said Wahyu.
The search process faces several obstacles, particularly unfavourable weather and high waves in the area. Nevertheless, the joint elements of the Indonesian Navy, Basarnas, and related maritime agencies continue to exert maximum effort to find the two victims. “The joint team continues the search with the hope that the two missing fishermen can be found soon to provide certainty for their families,” he explained.