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MV Levina 1

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A specialist fireboat dousing down the burnt-out shell of the ferry

The Levina 1 was an Indonesian passenger ferry. On February 22, 2007, it caught fire, killing at least 51 people. Three days later, on February 25, it sank with a group of members of the media and investigators on board, killing at least one more and leaving three missing.

Background

The Levina 1 was a 2,000-ton vessel.[1] It was 27 years old,[2] and owned and operated by PT Praga Jaya Sentosa.[3] On the day of the accident, it was on a voyage from the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, en route to the island of Bangka.[2]

Fire

The vessel caught fire several hours after leaving port,[1] prior to dawn,[4] at a location 60 nautical miles (110 km) from the start port of Tanjung Priok.[5] Hundreds of passengers escaped the burning ship by jumping into the Java Sea.[1] Over 290 people had to be rescued.[1] At least 51 people were killed in the disaster,[6] but the Indonesian Red Cross says the number could be as much as 89.[7] The ships log claimed the ship was carrying 228 passengers, 42 trucks and eight cars, but the navy claims it had at least 350 passengers on board.[2] It is common for logs of passengers to be left uncompleted and boats to be overloaded in Indonesia.[2] It is generally reported that 300-330 people were on board.[8][3] In reference to the incomplete manifest, Transport Minister Hatta Rajasa said "It is a big mistake that the ferry company never registered the identity of children passengers. It is a big, big mistake. I am going to give them heavy sanctions for that,".[9]

Rescue effort

The ferry's sister ship, Levina II, rescued many passengers, as did the Filipino ship Princess Vanessa.[10] In total, two warships, three helicopters, a tug boat and nine cargo ships participated in the search and rescue operation.[2] The wounded were either transported straight to hospitals, or if necessary first treated at a makeshift centre set up at the port.[4] 60 people were able to swim to a nearby island.[11]

Sinking

After the fire had been extinguished, tugboat TB Jayakarta III towed the ship into the waters of Tanjung Priok on February 24.[3] The following day, a party of four investigators and twelve journalists were taken to the ship by a police boat.[1][7] The reporters came from the Indosiar, Metro TV, ANTV, Lativi, RCTI and SCTV TV stations and the Elshinta radio station.[7] Many of those who boarded did not put on lifevests; although they had been available, the police had not made them mandatory.[1] The ferry was still under tow at the time, being seven nautical miles (13 km) from the port itself.[7][5] It was already listing slightly prior to the party boarding the wreck, and the group had been previously warned the ferry wasn't safe.[7] The Indonesian investigative authority, the KNKT, had not given the group permission to board, but they saw other journalists on board, and followed suit.[6] Once onboard the hulk, the journalists went to deck three where they interviewed the head of the city's Water Police, Adj. Sr. Comr. Frederik Kalembang.[7] Shortly after the party boarded the vessel, it suddenly listed sharply.[1] Police officers monitoring the vessel from a nearby boat used a loudspeaker to order an immediate evacuation of the ship. [7] Most of those on board rushed down to deck two, where they escaped via a window at the end of the deck.[7] The ship sank within five minutes.[1] One six-man lifeboat nearly capsized due to being heavily overloaded.[7] One Lativi cameraman subsequently died in hospital,[5] and three other people were left unaccounted for.[1] The missing people are two police forensics officers and a SCTV cameraman.[7][8] Four more people were seriously injured.[12] Subsequent diving operations on the wreck failed to locate the bodies of the deceased.[12]

Investigation

A full investigation was launched after the twin disasters by the National Transport Safety Committee and the Police Forensic Laboratory.[5] So far, the investigation has established that the fire started in a truck on the car deck.[2] It is believed to have been a chemical fire, as the ship's crew reported that when they attempted to douse the tarpaulin-covered truck with water the ferocity of the fire increased.[6] The trucker's ticketing agency shows that one of the trucks was loaded with cases of premixed petroleum, a rare and expensive commodity in Indonesia.[6] The ship's captain was interviewed as part of the investigative procedure.[3] Preliminary reports suggest that negligence on the part of the operator contributed to the disaster.[3] The investigation has also revealed that no inspection of the boat's documents was conducted prior to departure.[3] The vessel's skipper, as well as four other crew members, were also the subject of a criminal investigation regarding possible negligence.[13]

Aftermath

Setyo Rahardho, head of the National Transport Safety Commission, said that "Journalists will not be allowed to accompany investigators any more," in the aftermath of the disasters.[1] Hatta Radjasa, Indonesian minister for transportation, personally ordered the Directorate of Sea Transportation to revoke the operator's license in response to the incorrect documentation.[3] The directorate did so, and also suspended local harbourmaster J. Karelantang over his responsibility regarding the misleading documents.[3] The captain, Andi Kurniawan and the first officer, Sunaryo, (who only goes by one name, a common practice in Indonesia) were arrested after the disaster on suspicion of contributing to the disaster via negligence.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Indonesia to probe why reporters were allowed on fire-gutted ferry - WHDH-TV - Obtained March 1, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d e f 16 dead on blazing ferry as passengers jump into sea - The Scotsman - Obtained March 25, 2007.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Death toll reaches 20 in ferry inferno - The Jakarta Post - Obtained March 25, 2007.
  4. ^ a b Indonesian Passenger Ferry Fire Kills 16 - Fox News - Obtained March 25, 2007.
  5. ^ a b c d e 1 dead, 3 missing as gutted Indonesian ferry wreck sinks - Death toll from fire now 42 - Inquirer.net - Obtained March 27, 2007.
  6. ^ a b c d Investigators to carry on query despite sinking evidence - The Jakarta Post - Obtained March 26, 2007.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Death toll rises as charred ferry sinks - The Jakarta Post - Obtained March 25, 2007.
  8. ^ a b Wrecked Indonesian ferry sinks with investigating police, reporters on board - cnews - Obtained March 25, 2007.
  9. ^ Huge search for 120 missing in Indonesia ferry blaze - Inquiror - Obtained March 27, 2007.
  10. ^ 17 dead, including 3 children, in Indonesian ferry inferno - Inquirer - Obtained March 27, 2007.
  11. ^ 16 dead in fatal fire on Indonesian ferry - CBC - Obtained March 25, 2007.
  12. ^ a b Wrecked Indonesian Ferry Sinks; 1 Dies - TownHall.com - Obtained March 26, 2007.
  13. ^ Rescuers search for ferry survivors - MWC News - Obtained March 27, 2007.
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