Puan Soroti KM Mutiara Sentosa Fire Incident: Maritime Transportation Safety Factors Still Minimal

Screenshot - KM Mutiara Sentosa II which was on fire in the waters of the Java Sea, Sunday (2/8/2026). (ANTARA/HO-Kemenhub)

JAKARTA - House of Representatives (DPR) Chairwoman Puan Maharani highlighted the fire incident on the KM Mutiara Sentosa II in Sumenep waters, Madura, which killed 5 passengers. He assessed that the safety and security factors of maritime transportation in the country were still very minimal.

"We express our deep sorrow to all the victims of the KM Mutiara Sentosa II accident. This incident should be a reminder that the safety factor of maritime transportation in Indonesia is still minimal," said Puan, Tuesday, August 4.

Puan emphasized that the main measure of the success of national maritime transport should be measured by the factors of safety and security of the community. "This is a PR for us together, that the number of maritime ship accidents since the beginning of the year alone shows that there are still serious problems in the world of Indonesian maritime transport," he said.

As is known, the fire on the KM Mutiara Sentosa 2 in Sumenep waters, Madura, occurred on August 2. The fire in the middle of the Surabaya-Makassar route triggered panic until many passengers dared to jump into the sea, and caused 5 people to die.

Until now, the SAR team is still searching for victims following the many passengers who were reported missing. Meanwhile, the victims who have been successfully evacuated safely until Monday, August 3, numbered 233 people.

Puan also highlighted the incident on July 15 where the Motor Yacht (KLM) Nurul Salsa sank in Selayar Regency, South Sulawesi (South Sulawesi). Last week, which was the 9th day of the search operation, as many as 58 victims of the sinking of the KLM Nurul Salsa were found to be safe and four victims were found dead. Meanwhile, there are still 14 victims who have not been found.

Puan questioned various reports on the cause of the ship accident. In the KLM Nurul Salsa incident, the Police are now investigating the alleged negligence and manipulation of the manifest behind the sinking of the ship.

Then in the fire of KM Mutiara Sentosa II, the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) admitted that there was a discrepancy in the passenger manifest. The Ministry of Transportation is also investigating the alleged absence of lifeboats on KM Mutiara Sentosa II.

"The issue of a manifest of a ship that is different from the passengers on the ground is a problem that we continue to find. There must be a thorough evaluation of this issue," said the former Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

In addition to the fire on the KM Mutiara II and the sinking of the KLM Nurul Salsa, there have been various other marine accidents in recent months. The majority of them are due to negligence in the elements of safety and security.

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Puan also said that the evaluation of operators, ports, and regulators should not only be measured by the smoothness of passenger and logistics flows. But also from the ability to prevent accidents, speed up the rescue of victims, and reduce the fatality rate of each incident.

"Safety must be a performance measure that is equal to connectivity," he said.

Therefore, Puan asked the Government to set a national target for reducing the number of maritime transport accidents.

as part of the national development agenda. According to him, the target also needs to be accompanied by periodic evaluation of its achievement.

"Thus, each institution/ministry, operator, and regulator has a measurable responsibility to improve public safety," said Puan.