On 21 December, the general cargo ship KUALA MAS collided with the product tanker MARITIM KHATULISTIWA, which was anchored at Kupang, Indonesia.
The Kupang port authority (KSOP) was notified about the collision at the early hours of morning and a follow-up alert was issued, indicating that the cargo ship was taking on water. Initial reports suggest that the KUALA MAS had drifted with the current before striking the anchored tanker. The collision caused a hole in the cargo ship’s hull, which led it to tilt by about 10 degrees.
The crew worked to seal the leak for the first two hours, but upon realizing that their efforts proved ineffective, the captain made the decision to intentionally ground the ship in shallow waters to prevent it from sinking. Fortunately, none of the crew members were injured in the incident.
The captain navigated the ship toward the Bolok Kupang Pier and issued a distress call for evacuation at 8:02 AM. A tugboat from a nearby port quickly arrived and rescued all 20 crew members, who were unharmed.
By 8:34 AM, the vessel had sunk near the shore with some of the containers aboard sank to the seabed, while others drifted towards the shore. An oil boom was deployed around the wreck to prevent any potential environmental pollution.
