This mission's main priority is saving the 53 submarinersJakarta (ANTARA) - House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Puan Maharani has appealed to all parties involving in a search mission to do their utmost endeavors to locate Indonesia's KRI Nanggala-402, and evacuate 53 sailors on board.
"Our best prayers are with all patriots on board of the KRI Nanggala-402. May the submarine be located, and all sailors on board are found alive," she said in a press statement that ANTARA quoted in Jakarta on Sunday.
She voiced her deep concern over the sinking of this Indonesian Navy's submarine in waters north of Bali Island on early Wednesday as it got prepared for conducting a torpedo drill.
The Indonesian Defence Forces (TNI) has declared that KRI Nanggala-402 has sunk after a coordinated search and rescue mission was carried out for 72 hours.
The Indonesian Navy's Chief of Staff Admiral Yudo Margono said earlier that oxygen supply on KRI Nanggala 402 might suffice for five days if the missing submarine did not experience a power blackout.
"If the ship is not in blackout, or still has electrical capacity, this (oxygen supply) will suffice for five days," Margono told the press here on Saturday.
He, however, said he could not confirm whether a blackout occurred on the German-made submarine when it dove in the waters north of Bali Island Wednesday (April 21, 2021).
Meanwhile, President Joko Widodo has asked the TNI and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) to do their utmost to locate and rescue the ill-fated submarine.
Contact with the German-made submarine, which was carrying 53 submariners on board, was lost while it was preparing for a torpedo drill in the waters north of Bali, according to Military Commander, Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto.
"The last contact (with the submarine) was made at 4:30 a.m. local time (on April 21, 2021). There was no more contact when the torpedo drill was to be conducted," he informed earlier.
President Widodo said Tjahjanto and the Indonesian navy chief of staff are leading the SAR mission on the ground.
"This mission's main priority is saving the 53 submariners," he said while urging the families of the sailors to remain patient and wait for the outcome of the SAR efforts.
Widodo also appealed to the entire nation to pray for the safety of the submariners and for the success of the search efforts.
After the submarine went missing, the Indonesian Navy sent out a distress call to the International Submarine Escape and Rescue Liaison Office (ISMERLO).
The navies of several countries, including Australia, Malaysia, India, and Singapore, responded and offered to help search for the missing submarine.
Singapore has sent its MV Swift Rescue, while Malaysia has dispatched its Rescue Mega Bhati to join the search for KRI Nanggala-402 in Bali Island's waters, it added.
The missing 209/1300-type submarine was built in Germany's Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in 1977, and was officially inducted into the navy in 1981.
Its propulsion system uses a Siemens low-speed diesel electric motor, connected directly to the propeller shaft, which generates about five thousand shaft horsepower (shp).
The electrical power is stored in batteries, which make up 25 percent of the weight of the vessel, according to the navy. Four MTU diesel supercharged engines are responsible for generating electricity in the vessel.
Related news: TNI Chief Tjahjanto joins search operation for missing submarine
Related news: Missing submarine oxygen could last 5 days, if power on: Navy
Translator: M.Zulfikar, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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