Fishermen's Grief In Pasiripis Village, Sukabumi, 35 Boats Lost By High Waves, 36 Units Remaining Severely Damaged

Condition of the wreckage of a fishing boat in Minajaya Beach, Pasiripis Village, Surade District, Sukabumi Regency, West Java (Via ANTARA)

SUKABUMI - Dozens of fishing boats moored at Minajaya Beach, Sukabumi Regency, West Java were heavily damaged and lost because they were hit by high waves on Tuesday, May 24. The majority of local fishermen cannot go to sea at this time.

"From temporary data, the number of boats on Minajaya Beach, Pasiripis Village, Surade District, was heavily damaged, sunk, or missing reached 71 units. For details, 36 units were missing and 35 units were heavily damaged and the number is likely to continue to grow," said one of the owners of a boat operating on Minajaya Beach, Ambari, in Sukabumi, Antara, Tuesday, May 24.

Due to high waves, he had to lose four boats whose whereabouts are currently unknown. High waves in the southern sea of Sukabumi Regency began to occur on Tuesday, at around 03.00 WIB.

At the time of the incident, Minajaya Beach had many boats moored and the majority of fishermen and boat owners were asleep. The fishermen who had just woken up were immediately shocked by the condition of their boat which had been completely destroyed by the high waves.

Some other fishermen are looking for their boats that were lost because they were dragged by the ocean currents or sunk by the waves. Until now, local fishermen are still collecting data related to the disaster.

"There were no fatalities in this incident, but almost all fishermen could not find fish because their boats were lost and damaged and they did not dare to go to sea for fear of something untoward happening, even today the sea waves at Minajaya Beach are still high," he added.

Contacted separately, the Head of the Regional SAR Coordination Forum (FKSD) of Sukabumi Regency, Okih Fajri, said that based on data from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) for Sukabumi and South Cianjur (high seas) the waves were in the very high category with a height of 4-6 meters. .

The wave height on the beach reaches 1.5-2 meters. High wave conditions plus strong winds with a speed of 2-15 knots certainly endanger fishermen who are looking for fish using small or traditional boats, one of which is congkreng.

For security, safety, and anticipation of undesirable things, his party appealed to fishermen to consider not going to sea for a while, especially those whose operations are in high seas.

Fishermen who use large vessels, such as FADs, diesels, and longlands that are still at sea, should be alert and always equip their fleets with safety equipment ranging from life jackets, compasses, GPS, and adequate communication tools.

Before going to sea, fishermen must first check the condition of the ship's engine whether it is suitable or not to go to sea, then the fuel supply must be really sufficient and while at sea to continue to communicate with the officer in charge of shipping.

"In anticipation of a marine accident, we have also alerted personnel who are ready to be deployed at any time to carry out search and rescue operations, as well as coordinate with other relevant agencies," he said.