Hit By High Waves, Engine Dead Speedboats In North Maluku Waters

MALUKU - One unit of engine spedboat died in the waters of the Sofifi-City Ternate route due to being hit by high waves. The evacuation was carried out by the Ternate Basarnas, North Maluku (Malut).

The head of the Ternate Basarnas Fathur Rahman said that during the evacuation, Basarnas personnel escorted the speedboat until it arrived in Ternate. All passengers in the evacuation were declared safe.

The Tuguwaer speedboat with three machines experienced an incident on Saturday 6 January. The speedboat was damaged by 2 engines that could not run because there was only one engine left.

Fathur also appealed to the public and operators of speedboats and ships not to force them to sail during high wave conditions, strong winds and heavy rain.

He also asked the owner of the speedboat to complete the infrastructure for sailing safety equipment such as life jackets, life crafts, life buyies and carry passengers not exceeding the cargo while sailing.

"We urge you to always monitor the weather developments issued by BMKG, if you experience problems while sailing, immediately contact Basarnas or related agencies," he said, confiscated by Antara, Sunday, January 8.

Head of BPBD Ternate City, Muhammad Ihsan Hamzah added, weather conditions in North Maluku are uncertain. BPBD estimates the potential for an increase in wind speed which has an impact on increasing wave height in the North Maluku region.

This condition also, he continued, coincides with the full moon phase, thereby increasing the chance of coastal flooding in the North Maluku region.

"For this reason, the Ternate City Government appeals to all residents who live and work around coastal areas or locations where there is a potential for tidal flooding and tidal waves to always be vigilant in the event of strong winds and high waves," he said.

This was conveyed by Ihsan to follow up on the weather release issued by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (MKG) of Sultan Baabullah Ternate Station regarding the early warning of the weather in the North Maluku region for the next 3 days starting from January 6 to 09, 2023.