Ten boats sink in waters off Asahan

Ten boats sink in waters off Asahan

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra

At least 10 boats sank during a four-day storm which caused
violent seas off Asahan regency, North Sumatra, in the Strait of
Malacca, officials said on Thursday.

However, there were no reports of human casualties.

The mishaps occurred as the vessels, including the KM Sri
Duyung, KM Marlboro, KM Batam Utama and the KM Sinar Jaya, were
sailing from Malaysia to Tanjung Balai port in North Sumatra.

The naval authorities based in Tanjung Balai reported that the
incidents were handled by the local Sea Security Unit (Kamla).

Out of the 10 ill-fated boats, Kamla personnel had already
identified five -- two classified as fishing boats and the other
three were cargo boats. Five more boats were still unidentified.

Chief of the Navy detachment in Tanjung Balai Asahan Capt.
Tubagus Budi Wahyudi said the search for the sunken ships
continued on Thursday in coordination with other naval units in
Jemur Island, part of Asahan.

"The rescue team still can't find the boats. We have spotted
quite a bit of flotsam scattered about," he stated.

He said nobody was reported missing after the accidents as all
crew members of the boats were saved by passing vessels in the
area.

Iwan, a surviving crew member from the KM Batam Utama, blamed
the storm.

According to his account, the situation at sea was horrifying
at the time due to strong winds that were followed by heavy rain
and huge waves.

Before his boat sank, he said, it was dragged by the strong
currents several miles off course before it finally capsized.

"Our boat sank in the open seas in the Malacca Strait. We had
to jump overboard when the boat was going down," Iwan told The
Jakarta Post.

He said that just after the crew members jumped overboard, the
KM Melati Senja which was in the area managed to rescue them.

"We tried the best we could to save the ship, but the waves
were so huge and we were powerless to navigate it any longer,"
Iwan said.

The stormy seas this week also forced hundreds of local
fishermen to stay home.

Misdi, 47, a trawler crew member, said he and his fellow
fishermen were unable to go to sea for four days due to the
inclement weather.

"We can't set sail when the waves are high. Apart from
endangering our lives, our fishing equipment can't be used in
such weather," he said.