Ship stranded off Nabire

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)