Jakarta, IO – The government through the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry (Kemenparekraf) urges tourists to be careful in choosing the ship they are using when vacationing.
This was conveyed by Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno after the Phinisi Sea Safari VII ship which was about to sail to Komodo Island caught fire due to an electrical short circuit in Penga Island waters in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Thursday (2/5).
“Tourists should choose phinisi boats carefully so that there are no more accidents or similar incidents so that they can undermine tourists’ confidence in safety and travel,” said Sandiaga, per Kompas, Tue (7/5).
Sandiaga emphasized that incidents that threaten the safety of tourists, such as what happened on the ship, must not happen again in the future. He said the government would collaborate with a number of agencies to anticipate similar incidents.
“We are taking steps to enforce regulations and standardize the procedure to ensure the safety of tourist ships together with the Transportation Ministry and maritime authorities,” said Sandiaga.
The ship apparently had obtained sail permit and abided by existing regulations. However, compliance with the Cleanliness, Health, Safety, Environmental Sustainability (CHSE) aspects is important to improve safety.
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“Apart from adverse weather conditions, we will continue to improve safety on tourist boats or ships,” he said.
The joint rescue team reported that the fire that started in the engine rooms was able to be immediately extinguished and all passengers were evacuated.
The ship at the time was carrying 33 passengers consisting of 17 foreign tourists, nine domestic tourists and seven crew. Two people were reported to have suffered burns and two others shortness of breath due to asphyxiation. (un)