Serial Tragedy In The Sea Of Bali, Basarnas Urges Evaluation Of Shipping Safety

Illustration of officers with residents trying to pull the Bali Dolphin Cruise 2 fast boat to the beach in the Sanur area, Denpasar, Bali, Tuesday (5/8/2025). BETWEEN PHOTOS/Fikri Yusuf/nz

JAKARTA - The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) assesses that two incidents of sinking ships that have occurred in the past month in Bali waters must be a comprehensive evaluation of the shipping safety system in Indonesia.

This evaluation, according to Basarnas Operations and Training Director Edy Prakoso, must include aspects of ship cargo, fleet feasibility, and responses to bad weather conditions that often change rapidly in these water areas.

"The experience of the Tunu KMP incident should have become an important record of shipping safety," said Edy when contacted from Jakarta, Antara, Thursday, August 7.

The two incidents occurred within a month. The Bali Dolphin Cruise 2 fast boat sank in the entrance channel of Sanur Port on Tuesday, August 5. Meanwhile, KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sank first on Wednesday, July 2 in the waters of the Bali Strait while sailing from Ketapang Harbor to Gilimanuk.

Basarnas pays serious attention to allegations of overload that do not match ship conditions, because this situation can increase the risk when high waves and strong winds occur. Moreover, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has given an early warning regarding the potential for waves as high as 2.5 to 4 meters in the waters of the Indian Ocean south of Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara on 7 10 August 2025.

"We are concerned. For small boats loaded with so many passengers (Dolphin Cruise 2), hopefully the relevant parties can pay more attention to the incident. Don't reduce the tourist's intentions, because for them safety and comfort are the main thing," continued Edy.

Bali Dolphin Cruise 2 is known to have carried 75 passengers and five crew members (ABK) when it sank at around 15:15 WITA. A total of 77 people were rescued, but three people died, including two foreign tourists from China. Basarnas officially closed the search operation after the last victim, I Kadek Adijaya Dinata (23), was found dead on the lips of Padang Galak Beach on Wednesday (6/8/2025) at around 13.00 WITA.

Meanwhile, KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya carrying 53 passengers, 12 crew members, and 22 vehicles sank in the Bali Strait on July 2, 2025. Until now, 30 people have been reported safe, 18 have been found dead, and 17 others are still missing.

In this case, the ship's manifest is suspected to be invalid. A number of victims' families reported to the complaint post that the names of their family members were not listed on the passenger list, even though they boarded the ship.

The entire sinking of these two ships is now under the handling of the National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) for further investigation.