MV Levina 1

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Levina 1 firefighting.jpg
A fireboat dousing down the burnt-out hulk of the ferry
History
NameMV Levina 1
OwnerPT Praga Jaya Sentosa
IdentificationIMO number: 8001309
FateCaught on fire and sank in February 2007
General characteristics
TypeFerry
Tonnage2,000

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 journalists and investigators on board, killing at least one more and leaving three missing.

Construction[]

The Levina 1 was a 2,000-ton vessel[1] built in Japan[2] in 1980.[3] It was owned and operated by PT Praga Jaya Sentosa.[4]

Fire[]

On February 22, 2007, the Levina 1 was en route from the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, to the island of Bangka.[3] The vessel caught fire several hours after leaving port,[1] prior to dawn,[5] at a location 60 nautical miles (110 km) from the start port of Tanjung Priok.[6] 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,[7] but the Indonesian Red Cross says the number of deaths could be as high as 89.[8] The ship's 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.[3] It is common for logs of passengers to be left incomplete and boats to be overloaded in Indonesia.[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. In total, two warships (KRI Cobra and KAL Legian), three helicopters, a tug boat and nine cargo ships participated in the search and rescue operation.[3] The injured were either transported straight to hospital, or treated at a makeshift centre set up at the port.[5] 60 people were able to swim to a nearby island.[10]

Sinking[]

After the fire had been extinguished, tugboat TB Jayakarta III towed the ship into the waters of Tanjung Priok on February 24.[4] The following day, a party of four investigators and twelve journalists were taken to the ship by a police boat.[1][8] The reporters came from the Indosiar, Metro TV, ANTV, Lativi (later TvOne), RCTI and SCTV TV stations and the radio station.[8] 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.[6][8] It was already listing slightly prior to the party boarding the wreck, and the group had been previously warned the ferry wasn't safe.[8] The Indonesian investigative authority, the KNKT, had not given the group permission to board, but they saw other journalists on board, and followed suit.[7] Once on board the hulk, the journalists went to deck three where they interviewed the head of the city's Water Police, Adj. Sr. Comr. Frederik Kalembang.[8] 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.[8] Most of those on board rushed down to deck two, where they escaped via a window at the end of the deck.[8] The ship sank within five minutes.[1] One six-man lifeboat nearly capsized due to being heavily overloaded.[8] One Lativi cameraman subsequently died in hospital,[6] and three other people – two police forensics officers and a SCTV cameraman – remain unaccounted for.[8] Four more people were seriously injured.[11] Diving operations on the wreck failed to locate the bodies of the deceased.[11]

Investigation[]

An investigation was launched after the twin disasters by the National Transportation Safety Committee and the .[6] The investigation established that the fire started in a truck on the car deck.[3] 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.[7] 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.[7] The ship's captain was interviewed as part of the investigative procedure.[4] Preliminary reports suggest that negligence on the part of the operator, PT Praga Jaya Sentosa, contributed to the disaster.[4] The investigation revealed that no inspection of the boat's documents was conducted prior to departure.[4] The vessel's skipper, as well as four other crew members, were also the subject of a criminal investigation regarding possible negligence.[12]

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 PT Praga Jaya Sentosa's license in response to the inaccurate passenger manifests.[4] The directorate did so, and also suspended local harbourmaster J. Karelantang over his responsibility regarding the misleading documents.[4] The captain, Andi Kurniawan, and the first officer, Sunaryo, were arrested after the disaster and charged with negligence.[6]

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) reiterated an offer made to Indonesia in late 2006 (after over 400 people died in the sinking of Senopati Nusantara and ) to assist with aiding ferry safety. This time, Indonesia accepted, and the IMO made recommendations which resulted in the establishment of an action plan.[13]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i "Indonesia to probe why reporters were allowed on fire-gutted ferry". WHDH-TV. February 26, 2007. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2007.
  2. ^ "Spotlight intensifies on ferries after Levina 1 disaster". Seatrade Asia. February 27, 2007. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2008.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "16 dead on blazing ferry as passengers jump into sea". The Scotsman. February 22, 2007. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Death toll reaches 20 in ferry inferno". The Jakarta Post. February 25, 2007. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Indonesian passenger ferry fire kills 16". Fox News. February 22, 2007. Archived from the original on February 25, 2007.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "1 dead, 3 missing as gutted Indonesian ferry wreck sinks". Inquirer. February 25, 2007. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Investigators to carry on query despite sinking evidence". The Jakarta Post. February 27, 2007. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j "Death toll rises as charred ferry sinks". The Jakarta Post. February 26, 2007. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007.
  9. ^ "Huge search for 120 missing in Indonesia ferry blaze". ChannelNewsAsia. February 23, 2007. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  10. ^ "16 dead in fatal fire on Indonesian ferry". CBC. February 22, 2007. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b "Wrecked Indonesian ferry sinks with police, reporters on board; cameraman killed, 3 others missing". The Southeast Missourian. February 26, 2007.
  12. ^ "Rescuers search for ferry survivors". Al Jazeera. February 25, 2007. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012.
  13. ^ "Maritime Safety Committee, 83rd session: 3-12 October 2007". International Maritime Organization. October 3, 2007. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012.

External links[]

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