TUNU PRATAMA JAYA

scrapped

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Latest news

Search for 16 missing passengers ended after extension

The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) hinted at a possible end to search operations to locate those still missing at sea following the sinking of the 'Tunu Pratama Jaya' on July 21, with personnel returning to routine activities, if a field assessment finds the search to be no longer effective. After being extended by seven days—from July 15, 2025, to July 21—the search period has officially ended. SAR operations were carried out normatively for one week, The search period could be extended under special considerations, but if the SAR operations are determined to no longer be effective, the search may be ended, he reaffirmed. The BASARNAS had handed over the search mission coordination for the passengers of the sunken ferry to its Surabaya office, which continued the search for the remaining 16 missing passengers. As of July 15, the death toll from the sinking was recorded at 19. 30 people survived the incident.

Recovery plans facing challenges

The plan to recover the KNP ÄTunu Pratama Jaya'Ä was announced after the joint search and rescue team confirmed the location of the wreck of the sunken vessel, The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) would coordinate with port authorities and the Transportation Ministry regarding the next stage of the recovery of victims from the wreck. The operation to recover the wreck had passed the administrative phase, marked by local seaport authorities informing operators about the plan. The Tanjung Perak Seaport in Surabaya, East Java, had also notified ships in Ketapang Seaport in Banyuwangi to avoid the last known position of the ferry. After that, relevant agencies would dispatch technical teams to draft a plan to raise the wreck. The operation to recover the wreck would meet several challenges, ranging from weather to the strong current in the strait with the surface current being faster than 0.8 knots. Divers were immediately swept by the current. The wreck was located approximately 3.9 kilometers from the site of the accident by a drone operated by the Indonesian Navy’s hydro-oceanographic support vessel KRI 'Spica'. The discovery came after four underwater search attempts, which were hindered by strong currents. A preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) found that the likely cause of the sinking was the crew’s failure to close the engine room door before leaving port. Investigators had questioned surviving crew and passengers and discovered that seawater first entered the ferry through an open engine room door located on the lower deck. The hatch to the engine room should have remained closed at all times while the ship was sailing. It was still investigated whether the vessel was overloaded at the time of the accident by the KNKT Maritime Safety Subcommittee. A team of investigators from the East Java Police's Marine and Air (Polairud) Directorate and Banyuwangi police precinct was conducting the probe. To support the investigation, the Polairud team applied a scientific crime investigation approach and side-scan sonar to map the wreck of the vessel which was resting upside down on the seabed of the Bali Strait.

Another body found off Pengambengan village - search scaled down

On July 12 a fisherman has found another female body about four kilometers off the beach of the Pengambengan village, in the waters off the Jembrana Regency, Bali, suspected of being a passenger of the KMP 'Tunu Pratama Jaya'. The body was taken to the station in Pabuahan hamlet, Banyubiru village, by the joint SAR team.and then taken to Blambangan Hospital in Banyuwangi Regency for identification, on order of the Jembrana Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD). The body had black pants, a black T-shirt on her left leg, and a gold bracelet on her left hand. The Indonesian rescuers on July 14 scaled down a search, which had involved around 500 people, including rescuers, police, and military personnel, for 17 people still missing. A provincial-level team will continue to search for the missing people for the next seven days. The East Java search agency will search with around 100 personnel to be involvedActually 18 people were confirmed dead with 30 survivors. All passengers were Indonesian except for one Malaysian who was among the fatalities. Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said that plans were underway to salvage the ferry, which was found roughly 3.9km from its last known position. The ferry’s location was officially confirmed on July 12, when divers using modified equipment captured clear images of the overturned wreck on their third attempt, showing the ship’s name, hull and ramp. The search had started on July 9, involving the Navy and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas). The hydro-oceanographic survey vessel KRI 'Spica-934' detected an underwater object at a depth of 50 metres. Follow-up scans confirmed the object matched the ferry’s dimensions, but an attempt on July 11 to inspect it with a ROV was hindered by strong currents.