Shipping Operators Warned of High Waves, 14-17 September

Operators of passenger ships, tourism vessels, and fishing boats are advised to remain vigilant against sea waves reaching heights of 1 to 4 metres, as predicted by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) for various Indonesian waters from 14 to 17 September.

“Wind patterns and increased wind speeds are observed to trigger daily wave heights that could threaten the safety of shipping activities in Indonesian waters,” said the Acting Director of Maritime Meteorology at BMKG, Agie Wandala Putra, in a statement in Jakarta on Monday.

Agie explained that wind movement north of the equator is blowing from the southeast to the southwest at speeds of 4-2lag 25 knots, while south of the equator, winds are blowing from the east to the southeast at speeds of 8-25 knots.

The BMKG maritime meteorology team detected the highest wind speeds occurring in the Indian Ocean west of Bengkulu, the Java Sea, the southern Makassar Strait, the northern Maluku Sea, and the Arafura Sea.

These conditions have the potential to trigger waves between 1.25 and 2.5 metres in various waters, including the Karimata Strait, Java Sea, Bali Sea, Flores Sea, Makassar Strait, Banda Sea, Arafura Sea, and the North Papua Pacific Ocean.

Meanwhile, very high waves ranging from 2.5 to 4.0 metres are likely to occur in the northern Malacca Strait and the Indian Ocean waters stretching from west of Aceh, the Nias Islands, Mentawai, Bengkulu, and Lampung, to the south of Java, Bali, NTB, and NTT.

BMKG warns that fishing boats are vulnerable when operating in wind speeds above 15 knots with wave heights exceeding 1.25 metres. Barges are at risk in winds above 16 knots and waves of 1.5 metres, while ferries or passenger vessels are vulnerable when winds exceed 21 knots and waves exceed 2.5 metres.

“Communities residing and active in coastal areas are also requested to remain alert to anticipate the impact of high waves over the next few days,” said Agie.