Tim SAR gabungan melakukan operasi pencarian terhadap satu ABK KM Kawal Jaya 9 yang hilang usai insiden tubrukan kapal di perairan Utara Berakit, Kabupaten Bintan, Kepri (Dok. Basarnas)
Bintan, desabersuara.id – Another heartbreaking incident has struck fishers earning a living at sea. A local fishing boat, KM Kawal Jaya 9, was wrecked after being hit by a large cargo ship in the waters off Berakit, Bintan Regency, Riau Islands. The hit-and-run left one crew member missing, while more than a dozen others had to fight for their lives.
The accident happened on Friday, 30 October 2026, at around 4:23 a.m. Western Indonesia Time, before dawn, when most of the crew were resting. The collision occurred at coordinates 1°31’43.0″N 104°48’05.2″E, an area where busy international shipping lanes overlap with local fishing grounds.
According to the chronology, KM Kawal Jaya 9 was safely anchored after a full night of fishing. In the predawn quiet, a large cargo ship with a blue hull and a full load of containers, later identified as MCC Shenzhen, suddenly slammed into the side of the fishing boat.
The violent impact, captured by the boat’s CCTV camera, caused panic. Several crew members were thrown into the sea, while others clung desperately to the side of the damaged, listing hull. Instead of lowering a lifeboat or providing emergency assistance as required by international maritime safety conventions, the cargo ship sped up and left the scene.
Putrasman, head of the Tanjung Uban Class II Sea and Coast Guard Base (PLP) in Bintan, confirmed the hit-and-run and strongly regretted the cargo crew’s actions.
“Of the 14 crew members of KM Kawal Jaya 9 on board at the time, one person named Dinar has been declared missing. The boat is badly damaged, with a large leak in the front right side of the hull from the impact,” Putrasman said in an official statement.
A full search and rescue (SAR) operation was launched as soon as the report came in. A joint team from the Tanjung Uban PLP base and emergency personnel from Basarnas Tanjungpinang are combing the coast and open waters off Berakit, deploying the patrol vessel Sarotama to widen the search for Dinar.
The incident is another stark warning to maritime authorities about how vulnerable fishers are when they share the sea with massive commercial vessels. The government is being urged to coordinate with international maritime authorities to track the MCC Shenzhen and to pursue full legal accountability for the hit-and-run.
