KM Kelimutu Assists in the Evacuation of Eight Crew Members of Tugboat Equator 10 in the J

KM Kelimutu, one of the 26 passenger vessels owned by PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia or PT PELNI (Persero), successfully evacuated eight crew members of Tugboat (TB) Equator 10 on Saturday night (17/1).

Press Release
PT PELNI (Persero)
No.: 01.18/08/PR-KC/I/2026

KM Kelimutu Assists in the Evacuation of Eight Crew Members of Tugboat Equator 10 in the Java Sea

Batulicin, 18 January 2026 – KM Kelimutu, one of the 26 passenger vessels owned by PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia or PT PELNI (Persero), successfully evacuated eight crew members of Tugboat (TB) Equator 10 on Saturday night (17/1). The incident occurred while KM Kelimutu was carrying out its regular voyage from Tanjung Perak Port, Surabaya, to Batulicin Port.

At 18:45 WITA, KM Kelimutu received a distress call via VHF Radio Channel 16 from TB Equator 10, reporting a leak in the engine room. The Master of KM Kelimutu, Capt. Meiardi Baruna Negara, immediately ordered maneuvering to approach the incident location.

The ship’s emergency team, led by the Chief Mate, promptly conducted the evacuation process. All crew members worked in a coordinated manner across the deck, engine, and other departments to ensure the safety of the TB Equator 10 crew.

Capt. Meiardi Baruna Negara stated that the evacuation process went smoothly thanks to strong teamwork.

“Praise be to God, all eight crew members were successfully evacuated safely without any obstacles at 21:42 WITA. The safety of human life is always our top priority at sea,” said Capt. Meiardi.

After the evacuation was completed, KM Kelimutu continued its voyage to Batulicin Port. The crew of TB Equator 10 were picked up by the agent and KSOP authorities upon the vessel’s arrival at Batulicin Port.

Head of PELNI Batulicin Branch, Anita Lestari, expressed her appreciation for the swift response and professionalism of the KM Kelimutu crew.

“As a result of the evacuation process, the ship’s arrival in Batulicin was delayed from the scheduled time of 10:00 WITA to 10:50 WITA. Subsequently, the departure, which was scheduled for 11:00 WITA, was delayed by one hour to 12:00 WITA. We have explained the delay to the passengers, and thankfully they understood,” explained Anita.

In all situations, including emergencies at sea, the safety of human life is always PELNI’s top priority. Through fleet preparedness and routine crew training, PELNI is committed to carrying out its duties professionally and responsibly.

For information, KM Kelimutu is one of PELNI’s passenger vessels with a capacity of 1,000 passengers, serving the Tg. Priok – Tg. Pandan – Pontianak – Semarang – Kumai – Surabaya – Batulicin (round trip) route.

About PELNI

PELNI, as a State-Owned Enterprise operating in the maritime transportation services sector, currently operates 25 passenger vessels serving 483 routes and calling at 75 ports.

In addition to passenger transportation, PELNI also operates 30 pioneer vessel routes that provide accessibility for population mobility in 3TP areas, where pioneer vessels call at 229 ports with a total of 516 routes and 2,515 sailings. PELNI also operates 18 rede vessels. For logistics business services, PELNI currently operates 8 sea toll routes as well as one special route for livestock vessels.

For information and inquiries, please contact:
Nadya Nathasya Zahra
Acting Manager of Corporate Communications
PT PELNI (Persero)
Tel. +62 21 6334342 ext. 1310