Consumer agency urges tech-based prevention of sea transport accidents

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2 hours ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The National Consumer Protection Agency (BPKN) urged the government to maximize technology adoption to bolster sea travel accident prevention as part of efforts to enhance consumer protection in maritime transport.

“Technology must be utilized to save lives. We need to move from a reactive system to a tech-based preventive approach to safety,” BPKN Chairman Mufti Mubarok said in a statement on Monday.

He noted that technology enables real-time monitoring of weather and wave conditions, tracking ship positions, assessing vessel stability, issuing early warnings, and maintaining emergency communications.

Mubarok emphasized that evaluating safety systems is essential to strengthen accident mitigation, citing the incident involving the Virgo Transport 8 ferry, which listed on its voyage from Surabaya, East Java, to Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on Sunday, Sept. 13.

Latest reports from search and rescue authorities indicate that 114 of the 234 people aboard the vessel have been found, with six confirmed dead, while search operations remain underway in the Java Sea.

The BPKN chief described the accident as an opportunity for institutions and stakeholders to thoroughly evaluate Indonesia’s sea transport safety framework.

“If a vessel has been notified of bad weather, it must carefully decide whether to proceed, delay departure, or alter the route. Operational factors must not take precedence over safety,” Mubarok affirmed.

The use of technology, he continued, must be accompanied by strong oversight and reliable decision-making capabilities among operators and maritime authorities.

He underscored the importance of auditing ships and operators, highlighting maintenance, stability, passenger and load capacity, cargo distribution, manifest systems, crew competencies, safety equipment, and procedures for extreme weather.

The official added that results from the investigation launched by the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) should serve as a reference to enhance the national sea travel safety system.

“System weaknesses must be rectified immediately once discovered. We cannot afford to let investigation recommendations end up being a mere document,” he stressed.

Strengthening the safety system is essential to fulfilling the rights of sea transport users as consumers, he noted.