Zahro Boat Operator May Have Made Procedural Error: Official
2 January 2017 09:34 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A. Tonny Budiono, Director General of Sea Transport, Transportation Ministry, said that there is a discrepancy between passengers listed in on Zahro Express boat manifest with the real number. The boat catches fire at 8 am local time on Sunday, January 1, 2017, en route to Tidung Island, the Seribu Islands.
Initial information on Sailing Approval Letter (SPB) received by the Transportation Ministry shows that the boat's departure was scheduled for 7 am. “The SPB allows 100 passengers to get on board. But between 7 am to 8 am, more passengers were admitted unbeknownst to our team on the ground,” Tonny said at his office in Central Jakarta, Sunday evening, January 1, 2017.
He explained that the operator should have requested for another SPB issuance to allow additional crew members to join the ship. “There was a procedural error. We will examine whether the mistake was crew members or boat operator’s fault,” he said.
Tonny, however, could yet confirm whether the boat fire was caused by overcapacity. “A boat can capsize due to overcapacity or stability problems. [Yesterday’s] incident was caused by fire,” he said.
According to Tonny, witnesses saw a spark from the engine which spread rapidly due to its proximity to the fuel tank. He added that a detailed checking was often skipped on whether fuel leak had occurred.
“Any leak could cause a fuel leak that could lead to fire. The KNKT [National Committee for Transport Safety] will find out the ignition source whether from [fuel] leak or otherwise.”
Tonny has also questioned whether the boat was fit for purpose since it was last inspected on December 22, 2016. He said that he could yet confirm whether a comprehensive inspection was carried out or not. “We will find out later.”
Zahro Express boat catches fire on Monday morning, January 1, on Tidung waters, Seribu Islands, North Jakarta. Transport Ministry reported that the boat carried 184 passengers, including crew members. Some 130 passengers survived the incident, while 23 were killed and 31 wounded.
REZKI ALVIONITASARI
