Ship stranded off Nabire

SORONG, Irian Jaya: Luxurious passenger ship KM Umsini, belonging to the state-owned liner PT Pelni has been stranded in the waters off Nabire since hitting coral reefs on Tuesday, an official said on Thursday.

Nabire port official Riky Jarangga said all of the 1,600 passengers onboard had been evacuated by KM Sibayak. "They all are safe," he said.

He added that the stranded ship would be towed to the port using KM Rinjani.

Riky warned visiting ships to pay extra attention to the reefs following the incident, which took place some 2 miles from the port.

Separately, head of the PT Pelni office in Sorong Syahnuan Manan said the company would reimburse the ticket fares to the passengers.

KM Umsini sails between the islands of Java, Sulawesi, North Maluku and Irian Jaya. (48/lup)