PBD Forms Investigation Team for the Prestige Voyager KM in Raja Ampat

SORONG - The Government of the South West Papua Province (PBD) will immediately form an investigation team to thoroughly investigate the alleged damage to the coral reef due to the sinking of the KM Prestige Voyager tourist ship in the waters of Aroborek Island, Raja Ampat Regency.

Head of the Environment, Forestry and Land Agency (DLHKP) of the West Papua Province, Julian Kelly Kambu, said this step was taken to ensure that the marine ecosystem in the world-class marine tourism area remained safe and protected.

"The initial information about this incident was actually obtained from media reports," he said, quoted by ANTARA, Friday, January 16.

However, follow-up will definitely be carried out as before every time a ship hits or sinks on the coral reef in Raja Ampat.

Kelly said that handling incidents not only focuses on passenger safety, but must also ensure the protection of the Raja Ampat marine environment, which is known to have the best coral reefs in the world and is home to thousands of fish species.

"We will coordinate with the Head of the Environment Service of the Raja Ampat Regency. This is very important to ensure that the environmental handling process runs according to the provisions," he said.

According to Kelly, the incident of a tourist boat hitting or sinking on a coral reef is not the first time it has happened in Raja Ampat.

He encouraged a coordination meeting across the technical regional device organizations (OPD) to formulate stricter sailing rules in the marine tourism area.

"There must be a mutual agreement. Whether tourist boats can still sail in certain spots or need special restrictions, this must be decided across OPD so that similar incidents do not continue to occur," he said.

Technically, he said, the initial report on environmental impacts will be compiled by the Raja Ampat Regency Environment Service with the full assistance of the South West Papua Provincial DLHKP.

The process also involves related agencies, such as the Transportation Office, the City and Port Authority Office (KSOP), the Fisheries and Marine Office, the Tourism Office, and conservation partners.

Kelly assessed that there were still indications of weak communication and coordination across agencies in the supervision of shipping in Raja Ampat. In the future, supervision in the marine conservation area must be strengthened on an ongoing basis.

"This should be a concern for all of us. Raja Ampat is very sensitive to shipping activities. Supervision must be tightened so that the incident of ships hitting coral reefs does not continue to occur," he said.

The KM Prestige Voyager sank in the waters of Aroborek Island on Tuesday (13/1/2026) at around 17.30 WIT. The ship was carrying 19 tourists from China, five Indonesian citizens and the ship's crew.

The incident occurred when the ship tried to avoid bad weather with a fairly strong northwest wind after taking tourists diving in the waters of Yanggefo.

In the maneuver to find a safe location, the ship sank at coordinates 0°30'902" LS and 130°33'170" BT, right in the waters dominated by coral reefs. The receding sea conditions exacerbated the situation until the hull of the ship touched the bottom of the waters.

The effort to maneuver was carried out for several hours until the ship was able to leave around 22.30 WIT and then anchor in a safe area before continuing the voyage to Sorong.

Meanwhile, the Raja Ampat Police ensured that all passengers on the KM Prestige Voyager were safe.

Kasat Polair Polres Raja Ampat Ipda Feni Maulanamengatakan pihaknya masih melakukan penyelidikan lanjutan untuk memastikan tingkat kerusakan terumbu karang di lokasi kejadian.

"Our members are still checking at the bottom of the sea to see if there are coral reefs that are affected. Currently, the investigation process is still ongoing," he said.