The 5th Day Of The Search For Chinese Citizen Wu Jiantao Who Disappeared In The Makassar Strait Has No Results

The Joint SAR Team prays together and signs of compactness at KN Wisanggeni 236 in Balikpapan, Wednesday morning (13/9), to continue the search in the Makassar Strait. ANTARA /HO-Basarnas East Kalimantan

SAMARINDA - Wisanggeni 236 State Ship Crew (KN) is still searching for Chinese nationals who were reported missing in the Makassar Strait. Officers have been searching for 5 days since Saturday, September 9. "This morning we together with the SAR Team (Search and Rescue) KN Wisanggeni 236 again held a brief meeting to continue SAR operations on this fifth day," said Head of the East Kalimantan Province Basarnas Office (Kaltim) Melkianus Kotta when contacted from Samarinda, quoted by Antara, Wednesday, September 13. The search was carried out using KN Wisanggeni covering an area of 183 nautical miles (NM²), the search pattern uses a parallel sweep search system with a tracking track of 1-2 NM. The beginning of the incident was the Liberian State-flagged Ocean Brave Motorboat across the Makassar Strait, but one of the crew members (ABK) on behalf of Wu Jiantao, a Chinese national, realized that he was not on the ship while in the waters. The time of the incident was on Saturday, September 9, 2023, at 00.30 WITA, while the report came to his side on Saturday, at 16.00 WITA with the reporter Captain Guanyi Zhu (the Ocean Brave Ship). "The chronology, in the middle of the night the Liberian-flagged Ocean Brave ship passed through the Makassar Strait. The Ocean Brave captain only learned that one of the helmsman, Wu Jiantao, was not on the ship (alleged missing), after sailing about 11 NM," said Melki. The captain of the ship then decided to turn on the distress signal (EPIRB) in order to get a response from the nearest rescue team, while looking for and at the same time returning to the last location of departure where there were still victims. As soon as he received a danger signal or report, continued Melki, the Balikpapan SAR Office coordinated with the reporter, the Balikpapan KPP Rescue Team moved to the scene. "The rescue team first moved to the location on Saturday, 16.20 WITA and continued the search to this day. The elements involved in this Wednesday's search are the Balikpapan KPP Rescue Team, the Wisanggeni KN Crew, and the MV Ocean Brave Crew, the ship that previously carried the missing Chinese foreigner," he said.

A number of equipment brought in this search are equipment owned by KN SAR 236 Wisanggeni, complete water SAR equipment, diving special equipment, medical equipment, navigation equipment, and communication equipment.