Due to the forecast of extreme weather and high waves in the waters of Labuan Bajo and Komodo National Park, the sailing permit by the harbormaster’s office is only (being issued) for departures for Rinca Island.
Labuan Bajo, E Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA) - The Labuan Bajo Harbormaster’s Office and Port Authority (KSOP), East Nusa Tenggara, has restricted the departure of tourism vessels from Labuan Bajo and Komodo National Park until January 5, 2023, due to an extreme weather forecast.

"Due to the forecast of extreme weather and high waves in the waters of Labuan Bajo and Komodo National Park, the sailing permit by the harbormaster’s office is only (being issued) for departures for Rinca Island," Head of the Labuan Bajo KSOP Hasan Sadili informed here on Monday.

The Labuan Bajo KSOP has also issued a circular in this regard to protect tourists and ship passengers from the impact of extreme weather. The circular will be valid from 7 p.m. local time on January 1 to January 5.

Every ship that encounters bad weather during a voyage must go to a safer spot, Sadili said. He also emphasized that if any ship sails to areas other than Rinca, its sole responsibility will lie with the ship captain and shipowner.

He expressed the hope that tourism boat captains or owners will not sail without obtaining a permit or port clearance, which serves as proof of the ship's seaworthiness, before sailing.

"This is important to protect the life of tourists and passengers during the cruise," he said.

The sailing policy will be based on the weather information released by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), he added.

"Make sure to always get updates on weather developments and information, both directly and indirectly, from BMKG," Sadili said.

Earlier, tourism boat King Fisher De Seraya experienced an engine failure in the waters off Kukusan Island, Labuan Bajo, while carrying eight foreign tourists and three locals.

It was found that the boat had not obtained a sailing permit from the Labuan Bajo KSOP before setting sail with foreign tourists to an island.

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Translator: Fransiska N, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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