Our national identity was, is and always will be closely linked to the seas. However, the recent ferry disasters, of KM Sinar Bangun in North Sumatra and KM Lestari Maju in South Sulawesi, that led to 26 fatalities, highlighted the darker side that undermined our patriotic maritime spirit.
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Historical memories of our past glory as a maritime nation, combined with a seafaring spirit and the development of sea lanes and a maritime axis, will inevitably reinforce our national identity.
Our national identity was, is and always will be closely linked to the seas. However, the recent ferry disasters, of KM Sinar Bangun in Lake Toba in North Sumatra and KM Lestari Maju in the waters near Selayar Island, South Sulawesi, that led to 26 fatalities, highlighted the darker side that undermined our patriotic maritime spirit.
Alas, there is much work to be done. This includes improving ship crew members’ discipline and professionalism as well as ensuring investment. In an editorial on the efforts to recover the wreck of KM Sinar Bangun, Kompas cited a necessary investment in technologies to rescue victims in marine disasters.
Kompas wrote about this as marine disasters still often occur, either because of weather or other causes. Still, people’s mobility is improving in a maritime region that is vast and, at certain places, very deep. Technology-laden logistics are an important part of ensuring safety and security in marine transportation. Nevertheless, there are other, equally important factors, namely our competence and professionalism in managing traditional water transportation services.
Our priority right now should be to rescue the victims of the KM Lestari Maju ferry wreck and to ensure that victims’ families have everything they need. At the same time, we need to check on the conditions of all ferries used in transportation services nationwide. Are they too old for operation? Do they have enough safety equipment? In addition to ensuring the availability of hardware, how we operate it is equally important. As the two maritime disasters are still fresh on our minds, this is the right moment to ask questions regarding the management of transportation services.
For example, if we look at the build of KM Sinar Bangun, we might ask whether it was too tall, which may make it more susceptible to being affected by strong winds and big waves.
Another question is regarding the number of passengers on the ship. Disasters caused by overcapacity are a cause for major concern. Diligence in making passenger manifests is a good start to ensure that ships do not carry loads that exceed their intended capacity. These two latest ferry disasters should be more than enough to reaffirm our commitment to improving the standards of marine transportation nationwide. Shipbuilders must review their designs. Traditional transportation service authorities should also uphold regulations regarding ship operations.
With swift actions in inspecting our ferry armada and tighter enforcement of seamanship regulations, we hope ferry disasters will not happen again. We accept that weather conditions are often outside of our control. However, a modern human civilization should have the technologies and competence to ensure sailing safety.