TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The joint search and rescue (SAR) team have found an object at the depth of 40-60 meters on the seabed believed to be the wreckage of KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ship on the third day of the search, Saturday, July 5, 2025.

Deputy for Search and Rescue Operations Readiness of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) Ribut Eko Suyanto stated that the Directorate of Navigation of the Ministry of Transportation has identified an object believed to be the wreckage of KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya. Previously, the ship sank on Wednesday, July 2, 2025.

"We noticed a shift towards the north, while the victims were found mostly towards the south. This is what we need to evaluate with the presence of the Indonesian Navy ship, KRI Pulau Fanildo, hopefully tonight it can verify the data currently possessed," he said in a press conference at Ketapang Port, Banyuwangi, East Java, on Saturday night, July 5, 2025.

From the identification results, Eko continued, the specifications and shape of the underwater bed, length, and width are similar or identical to KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya. However, he said, the SAR team still needs to verify again through several more stages.

"Further verification is needed using underwater detection devices such as the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and sonar equipment or sound navigation and ranging available on KRI Pulau Fanildo," said Eko.

Sonar equipment is a technology that uses sound waves to detect, identify, and determine the distance of objects beneath the water surface.

Meanwhile, Commander of the Second Fleet Command in Surabaya Rear Admiral TNI I Gung Putu Alit Jaya stated that KRI Pulau Fanildo is expected to arrive in the waters of Banyuwangi on Saturday night around 8:00 PM local time.

"Tonight, it will immediately carry out its duties to the location or the datum point (the point where the ship sank in Bali Strait) using sonar equipment to detect objects, and also a magnetometer to detect metal," he said.

In addition, Rear Admiral Alit continued, KRI Pulau Fanildo can also deploy underwater detection equipment such as the remotely operated vehicle (ROV).

"With this ROV, it can take visual footage at the seabed at the datum point believed to be the location of KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya," he said.

On the third day of the search for the victims of the shipwreck in Bali Strait, the joint SAR team did not find any victims on the water surface. KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya, which carried 53 passengers and 12 crews, as well as 22 vehicles, sank in Bali Strait on Wednesday night, July 2, 2025, at around 11:35 PM local time.

Up to this point, the number of survivors found is 30 people, six were found dead, and 29 other victims are still declared missing and being searched for.

Editor's Choice: Search Team Recovers 35 Victims from Tunu Pratama Jaya Ship Sinking, Six Dead

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News