Tanker leaves fishing boat to sink after crash

BATAM (The Jakarta Post) : A very large crude carrier (VLCC) tanker with a foreign flag fled the scene after colliding with a fishing boat in the Malaka Strait, near Nipah Island in Riau Islands late last week.

The accident killed the fishing boat's skipper, Abdul Wahid, 44, and injured his eight crew members, who were hospitalized at Karimun hospital.

The head of the Safety and Control Section of Tanjung Balai Karimun Port, Fahrin, said on Saturday the tanker crashed into the fishing boat on Thursday at around 7 p.m.

The boat had departed from Tanjung Balai and was headed to Nipah Island for fishing. But on its way, the tanker crashed into it. Some witnesses said the tanker had given a sign but the boat's crews seemed to not hear it.

After the crash, the tanker stopped briefly but did not aid the fishing boat before continuing on. Another ship came to the aid of the crew members.

Chief for Security Operations at the Navy's Western Fleet Commodore Sugeng Dharmawan said he had sent a naval vessel to investigate the cause of the accident. However, Sugeng said he did not yet know the origin of the tanker.