Ono, 40, the skipper of Motor Vessel (MV) "Tiga Saudara," contacted the agency`s officials seeking help at around 8:40 a.m. local time, Head of the Ambon National Search and Rescue Agency Muslimin stated here on Friday, Jan 18.
Around 15 minutes after receiving Ono`s call, the agency deployed a group of SAR workers, who boarded a rigid inflatable boat to reach the ill-fated vessel, Muslimin remarked.
Ono was quoted as saying that his boat was swaying in the vicinity waters off Larike Village, Leihitu Sub-district, Central Maluku District, Maluku Province, at the GPS coordinates of 03 44`25.03"S - 127 53`38.60"E, he noted.
The vessel encountered a problem with its steering wheel during its voyage from Namlea in Buru Island to the port of Ambon City, he stated, adding that the position of MV "Tiga Saudara" was forecast to be around 15.30 miles from the Basarnas office.
Transportation safety remains a serious challenge for Indonesia.
On January 11, for instance, a passenger vessel, with 111 people on board, sank in the vicinity waters off Pasir Island of Nagekeo District, East Nusa Tenggara Province, but all passengers survived the accident.
The Motor Vessel "Sangke Palangga POB 50" capsized while sailing from Bira Jampea Port in South Sulawesi Province to Marapokot Port in Nagekeo District, Flores Island.
A series of fatal accidents also occurred last year, including the incident of the Lion Air JT 610 aircraft, with 189 passengers on board, which crashed into the Java Sea off Tanjung Karawang, West Java Province, on October 29, 2018; and the sinking of Motor Vessel "Sinar Bangun" in Lake Toba, North Sumatra.
The passenger ship sank to the bottom of Lake Toba on June 18, 2018, wherein three passengers died, and 164 others went missing.
Reporting by Daniel Leonard
Editing by Rahmad Nasution
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Azizah Fitriyanti
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
