Time is Running Out for Efforts to Find Missing Indonesian Submarine

KOMPAS.com – The Indonesian military or TNI’s hopes of finding the Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggala-402 is fading fast, as the vessel’s oxygen reserves is estimated to run out on Saturday, April 24.

Indonesian Navy vessels and their foreign counterparts scouring waters off the northern coast of Bali have yet to find the German-made attack submarine as of 3 in the morning of Saturday, April 24.

Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Yudo Margono estimated that vessel has 72 hours of oxygen left, since it lost contact with base in Surabaya, East Java on Wednesday, 3 am.

The Indonesian military is currently focusing its hopes to find a breakthrough in the search on the Celukan Bawang Bali maritime Gap.

Also read: Australia, India and Singapore to Aid Indonesia's Search for Missing Submarine

“We have found nine points that might give away [KRI Nanggala-402’s] location 40 kilometers south of Celukan Bawang, where we found oil spills as well as strong magnetic fields,” said TNI spokesman Major General Achmad Riad on Friday.

Indonesian Navy vessels mustered to search for KRI Nanggala-402, among them the KRI Dr. Soeharso-990, KRI Rimau and the brand new submarine KRI Alugoro-405, will be joined by the Singaporean Navy submarine rescue ship MV Swift Rescue.

The United States also ordered the US Air Force reconnaissance P-8 aircraft to search for the KRI Nanggala-402, which is thought to sink to a depth of 600 to 700 meters. The US aircraft is thought to arrive in the early hours of Saturday, April 24.

Also read: BREAKING NEWS: Indonesian Navy Loses Contact With One of Its Submarines

Among those holding on to hope are Navy Lieutenant Colonel Ansori, KRI-Nanggala-402’s former commanding officer. “Like other crews manning ships and aircraft, the crew of the KRI Nanggala-402 is instructed to survived to deal with emergencies.”

“The submarine’s safety systems also meet international safety standards. Those safety protocols are also adjusted to the number of crewmen on board the submarine.”

The KRI Nanggala-402 was manufactured in 1979 at the Howaldt Deutsche Werke (HDW) shipyards in the port city of Kiel in the then-country of West Germany. The submarine has been part of Indonesia’s arsenal since 1981.

The aging ship was also upgraded at South Korean shipyards run by the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, South Korea between 2009-2012.

(Editor: Rachmawati)

Source: 

https://regional.kompas.com/read/2021/04/24/050500778/setelah-72-jam-hilang-kri-nanggala-belum-ditemukan-cadangan-oksigen-hanya?page=all#page2.