"We hope that there would be BMKG offices at each port. There is a BMKG (office) at the airports, and this must be equalized (for seaports)," KNKT Head Soerjanto Tjahjono stated at the "Safety Review of Traditional Ships in Indonesia" forum here on Wednesday.
Tjahjono pointed out that in some areas, weather forecasts and information were not delivered properly, thereby endangering sailing activities.
The local weather phenomena are quite dynamic in regions in North Maluku, such as Ternate, Tidore, and Halmahera.
Hence, he urged the BMKG to provide real-time weather information and monitoring to ships, especially traditional ships, that are about to set sail.
The KNKT also requested that the Port Authority and Harbormaster Offices (KSOP) maximize their services to inform ship crew regarding safety in shipping.
Based on KNKT's findings, ship crews often carry loads beyond capacity and even unsafely-packaged combustible goods, such as fuel oil.
"We must be aware of the weather, so that shipping activities can run safely," Tjahjono stated.
The KNKT head also said that his side strives to prevent ship accidents in the country.
In addition to weather factors, he emphasized the importance of ships meeting the standards and conditions before sailing.
According to Tjahjono, traditional and small ships play an important role in the locals' mobilization and goods, especially in archipelagic regions.
"In the archipelagic regions, if the weather is bad for quite some time, then it will trigger an increase in the price of basic goods," he remarked.
Related stakeholders are also encouraged to supervise the construction of ships, in terms of machinery and electricity, to meet viable conditions to sail in order to support crew safety.
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Translator: Adimas P, Kenzu T
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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