Vessel Carrying Jessica Mila Defies Closure Order to Sail to Padar Island, Sparking Industry Outrage

The tourist boat Maloekoe, carrying celebrity Jessica Mila along with her husband, child, and other passengers, sailed to Padar Island in Komodo National Park despite the route being closed due to bad weather. The vessel made the journey on 7 August 2026 without a sailing approval letter (SPB) for Padar.

The Maloekoe had only received an SPB from the Class III Labuan Bajo Harbormaster and Port Authority Office (KSOP) for a voyage to Rinca Island. During the closure period, tourist boats in Komodo National Park are only permitted to sail to Rinca Island, which is considered safe.

The voyage carrying Jessica Mila to Padar drew sharp criticism from Labuan Bajo tourist boat associations. They described the action as reckless for ignoring tourist safety amid the weather-related closure.

‘Regarding the boat that sailed to prohibited places due to weather, I think it was very reckless. Just for the sake of profit, they ignored the safety of tourists. This must not happen again,’ said Ahyar Abadi, chairman of the Labuan Bajo Tourist Boat Association (Askawi), on Tuesday (11/8/2026).

Ahyar urged the Labuan Bajo KSOP to impose strict sanctions on the captain and the boat for defying the closure. He argued that sanctions are necessary to create a deterrent effect. ‘We ask the KSOP to sanction the captain or the vessel, because if no action is taken, it will provoke other boats that have patiently refrained from sailing to Padar due to the weather,’ he stressed.

A similar call for enforcement was made by Rusding, chairman of the Labuan Bajo Speedboat Association (Asset). He urged the harbormaster to take action against tourist boats that violate sailing regulations. ‘We demand enforcement of the rules by the harbormaster. The route was closed, so why were there still boats sailing to Komodo Island? In essence, our association has complied with the rules while others have not, and that is the problem,’ Rusding said.

Rusding expressed regret over the incident, stating that it harmed other tourism operators who follow the rules. He noted that many operators had to refund deposits after tourists cancelled their trips to Komodo Island due to the sailing restrictions.

KSOP Labuan Bajo confirmed that the Maloekoe, which carried Jessica Mila, violated sailing regulations by travelling to Padar Island without an SPB. The vessel’s permit on the day of the incident was only for Rinca Island. ‘The Maloekoe, which was used by the artist, did not have an SPB for Komodo or Padar, only for Rinca because Rinca is still considered safe,’ said Stephanus on Monday (10/8/2026).

As a result of the violation, KSOP Labuan Bajo sanctioned the captain by removing him from the vessel and temporarily suspending his seafarer’s licence. ‘The captain of the Maloekoe has been removed from the vessel and his seafarer’s licence has been suspended,’ said Stephanus Risdiyanto, Head of Class III KSOP Labuan Bajo. During the suspension period, the captain, identified by the initials DJ, is prohibited from serving as a captain on any vessel. The duration of the licence suspension has not yet been determined.