MV TAMPOMAS II : REMEMBERING INDONESIA'S DEADLY

FERRY SINKING
Overview
41 years ago on January 27, 1981, there was one of
the biggest tragedies in the history of Indonesian sea
transportation. Do you know that? Yep, the tragedy of
the sinking of the MV Tampomas II ship. Before
knowing why the ship sank, you need to know the ins
and outs of the ship. MV Tampomas II is a ship
owned by PT PELNI (Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia)
which was recently purchased, with used condition.
This ship is a used ship built at the Mitsubishi
https://i0.wp.com/digstraksi.com/wp- shipyard (the largest shipyard in the world) in Japan
content/uploads/2021/03/image- in 1971. This ship was originally named MV Great
216.png?resize=620%2C434&ssl=1 Emerald with its main function as a car carrier.
However, once one of the car decks is converted into
a passenger deck, the ship can accommodate more
passengers than any other ship. Finally, the MV Great Emerald was successfully purchased on
February 23, 1980.After Indonesia officially purchased MV Tampomas II, the ship was restored,
starting from painting it to changing its name to MV Tampomas II. Then, for the first time,
Tampomas II officially sailed under the operation of PT PELNI on May 31,1980.
The Hero
Maybe you don't know who the most
meritorious figure in this incident is, right?
Captain Abdul Rivai is an alumnus of the
Akademi Ilmu Pelayaran (AIP). Where he
successfully completed his education and was
entitled to a diploma from Pelayaran Besar III in
1959. Followed by Mualim Pelayaran Besar II
in 1966 and Mualim Pelayaran Besar I in
1971. Starting his career at Pelni since Source :
September 23, 1959, Captain Abdul Rivai has https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EcYbW02U
experience in commanding large ships wAEbn9z.jpg
throughout his life. Such as MV Towuti, MV
Bangawan, MV Tolandu, MV Imarito and MV Iweri, MV Selayar and MV Batanghari. Before
becoming a commercial ship sailor, Captain Abdul Rivai was a member of the military who
participated in the Trikora operation. At that time, he held the rank of Lieutenant who served on
the deck of MV Sangihe. For his contribution to independence, Abdul Rivai was awarded the
Satya badge award in 1963 by the Indonesian government. Indeed, the figure who was born in
Tanjung Karang, Lampung, August 25, 1936, was a reliable and experienced sailor.
Chronology
These are the moments of the sinking of the ship. On January 24, 1981, MV Tampomas II
departed from Tanjungpriok Port, Jakarta, carrying 1,054 passengers and 82 crew. Not only that,
MV Tampomas II also transported 191 cars and around 200 motorcycles as well as milling
machines. This ship ends at Ujung
Pandang, Makassar. The trip was
scheduled for two days and two nights
with an estimated date of January 26,
1981. On Sunday, January 25, 1981 at
23:00 WITA, MV Tampomas II caught
fire about 220 miles to Ujung Pandang
Harbor. More precisely around the waters
near the Masalembo Islands, north of
Kangean Island, East Java. The fire
started from several parts of the engine
that experienced a fuel leak. As a result,
Source : the ship tilted to 45 degrees. The leak was
https://gowest.id/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/48 caused by a large storm that hit the
1940-sadasd.jpg waters. Then smoke appeared and the fire
began to grow. As a result, passengers experienced panic and some decided to jump into the sea.
However, there were a number of passengers who were rescued and boarded the Sangihe Ship,
which immediately came to the location to provide assistance. Several ships were ordered to
come to provide assistance, including Wayabula, Ilmanui, Brantas, two Indonesian Navy
minesweepers, and a Sea Transportation navigational ship. Finally, the fire was controlled, while
the ship remained afloat. At the time of the incident, the weather was bad, so the rescue and
evacuation efforts carried out until Monday (26/1/1981) were hampered. MV Tampomas II
finally sank on Tuesday (27/1/1981).
There are irregularities
The sinking of the MV Tampomas II with
hundreds of casualties was a slap in the face for
the Indonesian government. The case was so
complicated that no official dared to admit his
involvement. In fact, the Attorney General's
Office has assigned Bob Rusli Efendi Nasution as
the Head of the Case Team to look for those
involved. But unfortunately, he did not make any
demands to the authorities at that time. As a
result, the scandal that was rolling like a hot ball Source :
was then tried to be covered up by President https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/id/thu
Soeharto's regime. Sadly, the Minister of mb/b/bc/KMP-tampomas2-terbakar1.jpg/
Transportation chose to remain silent when asked 200px-KMP-tampomas2-terbakar1.jpg
to show a World Bank report detailing the purchase of Tampomas II for US$8.5 million. In fact,
the ship was a used item made in 1956 and re-modified in 1971. Before being labeled as
Tampomas II, the Japanese-made ship was named MV Great Emerald.
The End
The moment where Captain Abdul Rivai was very
meritorious was when he distributed life jackets for
passengers who were afraid to jump into the sea.
"We should just go down, Cap," said Karel
Simanjuntak, a crew member who was near Captain
Rivai. "Why do we get off if not all the passengers
are safe?" he said. Until the final seconds before
sinking, Captain Abdul Rivai was still seen helping
several women. He waved his hand and went back
Source : into the ship. MV Tampomas II was also badly
https://www.tagar.id/Asset/uploads/717 burned, eventually sinking at the bottom of the
223-tampomas-ii-thumb.jpeg ocean with the captain, Captain Abdul Rivai. Even
though it has passed, Captain Abdul Rivai's heroic
story is still well preserved. Especially for those who pursue the maritime world. His figure who
is steadfast and loyal to the end, becomes a complete reflection. About how to act like a knight
and be willing to sacrifice for others.