Hit By High Waves, Fishing Boat From Central Sulawesi Sinks In Kupang Waters

Illustration of fishing boats (ANTARA)

The Simpati Motorboat, which was boarded by seven fishermen from Southeast Sulawesi Province, sank after being hit by waves as high as three meters in the waters of the South Coast of Pakubaun Village, East Amarasi District, Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province.

Kupang Police Chief AKBP Anak Agung Gde Anom Wirata, said the Simpati Motorboat (KM) carrying the seven fishermen had suffered a broken steering so that it sailed directionlessly and was swayed by sea waves until the ship sank in the early hours of Tuesday.

"The ship with a capacity of 5 GT sank after sailing directionlessly carried away by the current and strong winds from Papela Waters, Rote Ndao Regency to Noni Beach," said Anak Winata, quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, July 26.

KM Simpati is a ship that often looks for sea cucumbers in the waters of Rote and Australia.

The police chief said that the sinking ship was discovered after two residents of Fatufuaf, Enoraen Village, namely Petrus Lodo and Nice Nubatonis, were fishing and heard calls from the crew of KM Simpati who asked for help.

"The two Amarasi residents saw that there were several people trying to swim to the beach so they immediately provided assistance to take the KM Simpati crew to the beach," said Wirata.

The seven fishermen who were rescued were Salam (45) as ship owners, Zulihdat (40), Sahrin (38), Fajrin (25), Sahban (23), Pipin (23) and Tasrun Sahrul (33).

Based on the confessions of the victims, KM Simpati, who experienced this fateful experience, sailed from Baipapa Pier, Central Kabaina District, Bombana Regency, Southeast Sulawesi Province on July 7, 2023, to Papela, Rote Ndao Regency before continuing the voyage to Pasir Island to search for sea cucumbers and arrived at Pasir Island on July 17, 2023.

After searching for sea cucumbers on Pasir Island, KM Simpati returned to sailing for Papela on July 22. While on the way, July 24, 2023 at around 16.00 WITA, there was damage to the steering fracture so that the ship was under the current and sank in the waters of Noni Beach, Pakubaun Village, East Amarasi District after being hit by waves as high as three meters on Tuesday morning.

"After the sinking ship, the crew tried to save themselves by swimming to Manipon beach and being rescued by local residents," said the Police Chief.