"We just talked about the law of the sea. The opportunity is open for us to demand compensation (for the damage)," Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said.Purwakarta, West Java (ANTARA News) - The government of Indonesia might demand compensation for the damage of rare ridges of rock by tourist boat MV Caledonian Sky from Britain destroying 1,600 square meters of ridges of rock in Radja Ampat earlier this month.
"We just talked about the law of the sea. The opportunity is open for us to demand compensation (for the damage)," Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said when on a visit here on Wednesday.
Luhut said he had formed a team in charge of the incident and the team would be sent to see the extent of damage caused by the tourist boat .
"The question is not the extent of the area being damaged but the ridge is very rare," he said.
The incident took place when the 4,200 GT MV tourist boat captained by Keith Michael Taylor with 79 other crewmen and 102 passengers, visited Raja Ampat on March 3, 2017.
After walking round one of the islands in Raja Ampat, enjoying the natural beauty, in one of tourist destinations rated best in the world, the tourists boarded the ship in midday on March 4.
The boat then proceeded the journey to Bitung in northern Sulawesi, at 12.41 local time . On its way to Bitung , MV Caledonian Sky stranded and trapped on ridges of rock .
In a bid to get out of the trap the captain first relying on the directions given by its GPS and radar failed .
A tug boat TB Audreyrob Tanjung Priok then arrived in the location to drag MV Caledonian Sky away , but also failed as the tourist boat was too heavy.
Finally , the captain succeeded in moving his ship and continued the journey at 23.15 local time on March 4, 2017.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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