20 Indonesian Crew Members Whose Ship Ran Aground In Japan Handled By The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs, 1 Broken Bones

Illustration of a large Purse Seeine boat that is not environmentally friendly destroys marine ecosystems. (Between)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemenlu) and the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo have handled 20 Indonesian citizens (WNI) crew members whose ships ran aground in the Izu Islands, Japan on March 3, 2024.

Information about the accident was obtained by the Indonesian Embassy from the Japanese Coast Guard (JGC) in Shimoda, Shizuoka.

"All Indonesian crew members survived and have now been evacuated using the Japan Coast Guard helicopter to the nearest hospital in Kozushima, Tokyo," said Director of Protection for Indonesian Citizens and BHI of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Judha Nugraha in Jakarta on Tuesday, March 5, as reported by Antara.

One of the dozens of Indonesian citizens, said Judha, suffered a broken bone but was not life-threatening.

The Fukuei-maru tuna fishing vessel No.8, manned by 25 people, 20 of whom were Indonesian citizens, ran aground while sailing from Kagoshima Harbor in Kagoshima Prefecture.

After experiencing engine failure on March 3, 2024 at around 17.00 local time, the ship was hit by waves as high as 2.5 meters until it finally ran aground and sank in the Izu Islands the next day on March 4.

As an effort to handle it, the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo will soon issue a Passport Travel Letter (SPLP) to facilitate the repatriation of Indonesian crew members to Indonesia, because their passports were washed away at sea.

"On March 7, they will be taken and temporarily accommodated at the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo while waiting for their return schedule to Indonesia," said Judha.