Senior Commissioner Irwan Nasution, Commander of the NTT Regional Police Water Police, told reporters in Kupang on Saturday that no casualties occurred in the incident, though losses reached Rp70 billion.
Nasution revealed that some of the containers the ship was carrying partially sank to the seabed, while others were swept away by the current to coastlines around Bolok and Tenau Ports.
According to the senior commissioner, the ship was carried away by the current after it attempted to anchor near Tenau Port. It collided with the Maritim Khatulistiwa Tanker Ship at 2:26 a.m. WITA (UTC+8), causing the Kuala Mas to list 10 degrees to its starboard side.
Upon receiving a report from the cargo ship, the NTT Regional Police Water Police team immediately deployed personnel to assist with evacuating the crew, working with the Kupang Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas).
A total of 20 crew members, including the captain, were rescued.
"Water Police personnel evacuated the crew and the ship using three vessels to the Polairud Pier," Nasution stated.
The Indonesian-flagged Kuala Mas ship was declared fully submerged to the seabed around the waters by 8:30 a.m. WITA.
Most cargo containers sank, while others drifted to various locations, including the Ditpolairud Polda NTT Pier, Bolok Port Pier, and the TNI - AL VII Kupang Base Pier.
According to marinetraffic.com, the Kuala Mas is a cargo ship with a length of 127.73 meters and a width of 18 meters.
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Reporter: Kornelis Kaha, Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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