Terombang-bayang Di Atas Rakit Perairan Papua Barat, 6 ABK KM Farida Indah Selamat Kapal Singapura

The MV RTM Ship with the Singapore flag found 6 crew members of KM Farida Indah in the waters of Kaimana, West Papua. (ANTARA/HO/SAR Timika)

The Singapore-flagged MV RTM Ship Djulpan rescued six crew members of KM Farida Indah who were adrift on a raft in Kaimana waters, West Papua Province. Head of SAR Timika, George Randang, said the six crew members were found passing through Kaimana waters on their way from Australia to China on Saturday July 1. He explained that the six crew members were found about 59 notical miles from the mainland Kaimana Regency in a floating condition on the raft they had built. After finding the six crew members, then the Singapore-flagged Bulk Carrier type ship contacted the Basarnas Command Center (BCC) via e-mail which then informed the Timika Search and Rescue Office for an evacuation process to be carried out. To ensure this information, the Timika SAR officers called and asked for the position or coordinates of the MV RTM Djulpan ship so that the joint SAR team headed towards the location of the ship. Bad weather and high waves caused the joint team to not be able to approach the ship and return to Kaimana, said Randang. He said, as a result of the delayed evacuation process, SAR Timika coordinated and directed MV. RTM Djulpan to evacuate victims by raising onto the ship as well as help with initial handling, while waiting for the SAR team from Kaimana. The request was submitted because of the waves and it was feared that the assembled KM Farida Indah crew would be shifted or lost. "The evacuation was only carried out early Sunday morning and when Kaimana was immediately taken to the local hospital for media handling," said Randang.

KM. Farida Indah was previously reported missing since Thursday, June 22, after sailing from Timika to Agast, Monday, June 19 with eight crew members. Previously, based on an Antara report, KM Nagoya 02 found two crew members of KM Farida Indah in Timika waters, namely Bakri and Ahmad alias Muti on Monday, June 26. From the confession of the two crew members, it was revealed that the ship carrying building materials sank after being hit by waves around Timika waters. The six crew members of KM Farida Indah found by the MV RTM Djulpan ship are Dopi Sonarto (45) from Jakarta, Baba (79) from Bone), Ande Suhardi (63) from Bone, Devi (52) from Jakarta), Undi (45) from Bone and Abdul (55) from Papua.