Visiting The Location Of 54 Burned Ships In Cilacap, Minister Trenggono Affirms No Repairs Are Allowed At The Pier

Minister Trenggono observes the condition of Batre Pier, Cilacap Regency, Central Java, Wednesday 11 May. (Between)

CILACAP - Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono observed the post-fire conditions of dozens of fishing boats at Batre Pier, Tambakreja Village, Cilacap, Central Java (Central Java), Wednesday 11 May. The fire broke out on the evening of Tuesday 3 May.

"There were 54 ships that caught fire, of which were under 30 GT (Gross Tonage) and above 30 GT. Earlier I met with two owners (of ships), one of whom is one of the many owners, this is a concern that we must pay attention to, especially in The standard operating procedure is here," he said.

Related to this, he asked the head of the port so that in the future there should be no ship repairs at the dock.

According to him, the ship to be repaired must have absolutely no fuel and must be separated from other ships.

"The owner's discipline is also important. The most important thing is that this has happened, how to deal with the 554 unemployed crew members so they can work," said the Minister.

He said that based on information from ship owners, the time needed to build one unit of the same type of ship is about six months.

In this case, he said, the government, especially the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, has the Public Service Agency (BLU) of the Marine and Fisheries Business Capital Management Agency (LPMUKP).

"We will try to help through the BLU but of course there must be a detailed calculation from the ship owner so that then we can help with a soft loan to rebuild the ship, and it will be supervised by the Director General of Capture Fisheries. Hopefully in six months then we can go to sea again and the crew can work well," he said.

According to him, this is a form of government presence to deal with the ship fire.

In addition, his party also provided direct assistance in the form of food packages for fishermen affected by fires, especially crew members from burning ships.

"Because these crew members really did not expect it, but if the ship owners know exactly what repairs are, they cannot be carried out at the dock," he said.

Asked about licensing issues, Minister Trenggono said that his party had temporarily frozen the ship's licensing so it wouldn't be taxed and would be reissued after the ship was finished.

The fire of dozens of fishing boats first occurred on one of the boats docked at Batre Pier on Tuesday, May 3, at 17:10 WIB, which began with an explosion from the ship.

Not long after, the flames spread to other ships that were docked at Battery Pier. In fact, the fire spread to the Wijayapura Pier (a special crossing to the penitentiary on Nusakambangan Island) which is located close to the Batere Pier.

As a result of this incident, one crew member suffered burns up to 25 percent, especially on the face, neck, right and left forearms, as well as the back of the right and left legs, so he had to undergo treatment at the Cilacap Hospital.

The victim on behalf of Yatiman (44), a resident of Jalan Logawa Number 45 RT 02 RW 03, Donan Village, Central Cilacap District, Cilacap Regency, is known to have been hit by an engine explosion while working on a ship.

Based on data collected by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, the number of ships burned reached 54 units, including a tugboat belonging to Pelindo, with a total loss due to fires reaching Rp. 162 billion.