"The Navy has dispatched three sea rider boats -- one from KRI Kujang-642 and two from the Tanjung Balai Karimun navy base -- and successfully rescued KM Bagas Arsakhan boat's captain and crews to safety," Tanjung Balai Karimun Naval Base Commander Lieutenant Colonel Joko Santosa noted in his statement on Saturday.
The rescued boat's crew had been evacuated to KRI Kujang-642 and the naval base in Pandan Island waters, Karimun District, he remarked.
When the navy boats reached the ill-fated boat, it was half-submerged, with most of the boat's cargo floating at sea, the commander revealed.
Santosa noted that KM Bagas Arsakhan, which carried 300 sacks of sugar, 300 sacks of sticky rice, and 1,900 crates of canned beverages, suffered a leakage while sailing from Tanjungpinang to Selat Panjang.
The leakage caused waters to permeate to reach the engine room and exposed the port side of the boat to the waters, he explained.
"Hence, the seawaters that had entered the boat could no longer be pumped out despite a pump engine being used. The ship's captain then decided to ground the ship at Pandan Island coast," Santosa remarked.
Meanwhile, Navy Armada I Commando Chief Rear Admiral Arsyad Abdullah lauded the navy officers' prompt action to rescue the crew members of KM Bagas Arsakhan.
"We expressed our condolences to those affected by the KM Bagas Arsakhan boat incident in Pandan Island, Karimun District, Riau Islands, but we also expressed relief that all the boat's crew members were successfully evacuated to safety," Abdullah affirmed.
The armada commando chief reiterated the navy officers' readiness to not only preserve maritime sovereignty but also to rescue boats in distress.
"The rescue operation is consistent with Navy Chief Admiral Yudo Margono's instruction that navy officers must utilise all available resources for humanitarian duties, such as disaster response and search-and-rescue operations," he remarked.
Abdullah also confirmed that navy officers would conduct safety monitoring of the ill-fated KM Bagas Arsakhan to prevent the shipwreck from harming marine activities in the region.
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Translator: Yuniati JN, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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