Police Investigate Australian-flagged Yacht Stranded in Rote Ndao

JAKARTA - The East Rote Police Sector, East Nusa Tenggara Police, is investigating the discovery of an Australian-flagged yacht ship that was stranded on Duile Beach, Oesosole Village, Faifua Village, East Rote District.

East Rote Police Chief Ipda A. Ikram Mahben said the ship was found without crew and passengers, raising a number of questions about the origin and cause of the ship being stranded in Indonesian waters.

"From the results of the examination, a number of documents were found that led to the identity of the ship, including the purchase offer form and the sales and purchase agreement containing the name of the Balamara ship, the type of ship, the hull number, and the identity of the seller and buyer," he said as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, June 17.

The ship named Balamara was first found by local residents in a state of shipwreck without any crew or passengers.

The information was then reported to the Bhayangkara Pembina Keamanan dan Ketertiban Masyarakat (Bhabinkamtibmas) of Faifua Village, Deputy Inspector of Police Dua Yermias Benu, who then forwarded it to the East Rote Police to be checked at the location.

Ikram Mahben said when he arrived at the location, his personnel found the ship empty.

For the sake of investigation, the police then conducted an initial examination of the ship and the goods that were still inside.

In addition to documents, officers also secured a number of items found inside the ship, including one GPS unit, a television, an electric drill, and several clothes.

The items were secured as part of the identification process and further investigation.

The Rote Ndao Police Chief AKBP Mardiono explained that security measures were taken to ensure that the ship did not drift away with the current, while also safeguarding evidence that could potentially help uncover the chronology of the ship's presence in the East Rote area.

Because the ship is flagged by Australia, the Police Chief added, the investigation process will be further coordinated with the NTT Regional Police and related agencies to trace the status of the ship, the last owner, and the possibility of a missing report or a shipping incident involving the ship.

"We are still deepening the documents and items found. Coordination with relevant parties will be carried out to ensure the identity of the ship and to find out how this ship can be stranded without a crew in the waters of East Rote," said the Police Chief.

The Balamara ship was temporarily moored at the location of the discovery with the help of the community while waiting for further investigation by the authorities.