Kesaksian Basarnas soal KM Arof: Korban Bertahan di Tengah Laut Menggunakan Styrofoam

Download the TribunX news app on the Play Store or App Store for a new experience. TRIBUN-VIDEO.COM - The characteristics of ocean waves in the waters of East Lampung Regency are known to be quite extreme among sailors and rescue teams. The Commander of the Bakauheni SAR Post, Rezie Kuswara, described waves ranging from 3 to 5 meters high hitting the ship in succession, making it difficult for the vessel to maintain stability. This incident befell the Motor Vessel (KM) Arof, a fishing boat with six crew members from Cirebon, West Java, which crashed in the waters of Muara Kuala Penet, East Lampung, on Saturday (June 13, 2026). One of the victims, Suarna (45), was found dead after a four-day search. Meanwhile, another victim, Tarno (50), the captain of the KM Arof, is still being searched for. Entering the fifth day of the search and rescue (SAR) operation, the joint team is still searching along the coast of Way Kambas and the Sekopong area to find the last survivor. According to initial reports, the KM Arof, carrying six crew members, capsized due to waves during bad weather and strong easterly winds. In the emergency situation, the crew members attempted to survive by clinging to styrofoam floating devices commonly used as fishing net buoys. However, subsequent waves are believed to have separated them into two groups. The first group, consisting of four crew members, managed to survive by clinging to the remaining styrofoam. They then swam to a bagan (fishing platform) in the middle of the ocean, about half a mile away, and managed to survive for one day and one night until being rescued by the SAR team. The second group, consisting of two people, including the captain, became separated from the group. It is suspected that due to exhaustion and poor sea conditions, their grip loosened, and they both drifted away. One of the group members was found dead about a mile off the coast of Way Kambas on the fourth day of the search, while the captain was still missing. On Monday, the KM Arof was confirmed to have completely sunk to the seabed. To continue the search, a joint SAR team led by Basarnas, through the Bakauheni SAR Post, deployed various equipment and supporting vessels. This operation also involved the Lampung Regional Police's Water Police (Polairud), East Lampung's Water Police (Polairud), the Labuhan Maringgai Navy, Bakamla (Bakamla), the East Lampung Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), and support from the local fishing community. Rezie explained that the search area was divided into several sectors using Basarnas' SAR Map system to estimate the direction of the victims' drift based on wind and ocean current data. Based on this mapping, ocean currents currently tend to head inland, so the search is focused on the coastal area. The search is being conducted for approximately 3 to 5 hours per day, divided into two shifts: morning and afternoon. The team used the Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) 02 Bakauheni and patrol boats belonging to the Indonesian Navy and the Water Police. However, the search operation faced several obstacles, including rapidly changing weather, from calm conditions to heavy rain and high waves in a short time; shallowing of the estuary, which made it difficult for the RIB to enter and exit during low tide; and the geographical conditions of the protected forest area along the Way Kambas coast, which hampered the evacuation process and the movement of large vessels. The four surviving crew members are now in stable physical condition, but are experiencing psychological trauma. They were temporarily housed in East Lampung before returning to Cirebon with their colleagues' bodies. Rezie stated that the survivors are still traumatized and therefore unable to provide complete information about the location of the incident. He also added that from January to June, six fishing boat accidents were recorded in East Lampung waters, ranging from sinkings due to bad weather to on-board accidents. According to him, most of the incidents occurred due to poor safety standards on traditional fishing boats. "Many vessels are not equipped with safety equipment such as life jackets and ring buoys. In an emergency, some fishermen rely solely on jerry cans or Styrofoam," he said. Rezie emphasized the importance of raising awareness of maritime safety among fishermen and vessel owners. He emphasized that the use of standard safety equipment such as life jackets is mandatory to prevent loss of life in emergencies at sea. This article was published on TribunLampung.co.id with the title "Holding on to Styrofoam, 4 Crew Members of the KM Arof Struggle for Life in High Waves," https://lampung.tribunnews.com/lampun.... Program: Word Witness Source: Tribun Lampung Editor: Untung Sofa Maulana #wordwitness #fisherman #fishermandrowns #lampung #shipwreck #crewmandrowns #km...