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- Asep Haryono | TAMPOMAS II. Indonesia’s Own “Titanic” Tragedy - Powered by Blogger
KMP Tampomas II was a passenger ship owned by Pelni (Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia), which is remembered for the tragic disaster known as the Tampomas Tragedy of 1981. The vessel caught fire and sank near the Masalembo Islands, located at 114°25′60″E — 5°30′0″S in the Java Sea (administratively part of East Java Province). “KMP” stands for Kapal Motor Penumpang (Motor Passenger Ship).
Under the command of Captain Abdul Rivai, the ship was en route from Jakarta to Sulawesi when it sank on January 27, 1981, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of passengers.
Tampomas II departed from Tanjung Priok Port on Saturday, January 24, 1981, at 7:00 PM local time, heading for Ujungpandang (now Makassar). The journey was expected to take around two days and two nights, with arrival estimated on Monday, January 26 at 10:00 AM. According to a ship guide, one of the engines had already experienced problems before departure.
The vessel carried dozens of motor vehicles, including a SAKAI milling machine and Vespa scooters, all loaded in the car deck. The ship's manifest recorded 191 cars and 200 motorcycles onboard. It was carrying 1,055 registered passengers and 82 crew members, but the total number onboard is estimated to be 1,442, including unregistered passengers (stowaways).
On the night of January 24, all was calm, with nothing unusual except for the beautiful sunset and the serene Java Sea. However, January waves are known to be rougher than in other months—waves reached 7–10 meters, with wind speeds up to 15 knots being quite common.
A live entertainment show was scheduled on the ship’s bar, featuring singer Ida Farida from the onboard band. An ominous moment occurred when a person named Ferry sang a farewell song, and he was never seen again after that.
The tragedy of the sinking of the Tampomas II Ship is one of the most heartbreaking maritime disasters in Indonesian history. This incident occurred on January 27, 1981 in the waters of Masalembo, East Java. Photo taken from Teluk Bone Youtube channel
How It Happened
On January 25, the day passed without incident. But that night, at around 8:00 PM (Central Indonesia Time), in the midst of a violent sea storm, a fuel leak occurred in the engine room, and a cigarette butt reportedly thrown through a vent caused a spark and fire.
The crew attempted to extinguish the flames with portable extinguishers but failed. The fire quickly spread into the engine compartment through an open deck door. The main engine shut down for 2 hours, the emergency generator failed, and firefighting efforts were abandoned due to worsening conditions.
Fuel inside the vehicles made the fire spread even faster, engulfing the decks in flames. Thirty minutes after the fire started, passengers were ordered to move to the upper deck and board the lifeboats. But evacuation was slow due to the only one access point to the upper deck. Once there, passengers found no guidance from crew members on where the lifeboats were. Some crew selfishly launched lifeboats only for themselves. Of the six lifeboats, each could only carry 50 people. In panic, some passengers jumped into the sea, while others waited in confusion and fear.
Abdul Rivai, Captain of the Tampomas II Who Died Because of His Loyalty to DutyAbdul Rivai, Captain of the Tampomas II Who Died Because of His Loyalty to Duty
Photo from BOOMBASTIS Website
" The heroic story of Abdul Rivai, captain of the KM Tampomas II, is one of dedication and self-sacrifice as the ship caught fire and sank in the waters off Masalembo in 1981.
Despite the ship listing and beginning to sink, he prioritized the safety of his passengers, distributing life jackets and ensuring their evacuation before the ship sank with him".
The first ship to respond was KM Sangihe, captained by Agus K. Sumirat, a classmate of Captain Abdul Rivai at the Indonesian Maritime Academy (class of 1959). KM Sangihe was en route from Pare-Pare to Surabaya for engine repairs. First Mate J. Bilalu of KM Sangihe spotted the smoke and initially thought it came from an offshore Pertamina oil well. Radio operator Abubakar sent out a SOS Morse code at 8:15 AM.
Other ships, including KM Ilmamui, tanker Istana VI, KM Adhiguna Karunia, and KM Sengata (PT Porodisa Lines), later joined the rescue operation.
On January 26, heavy rain hit the Java Sea. Fire spread to the engine room, which still held unisolated fuel, causing an explosion the next morning on January 27. The explosion flooded the engine, propeller, and generator rooms, causing the ship to list 45 degrees.
Finally, at 12:45 PM (WIB) or 1:45 PM (WITA) on January 27, 1981, around 30 hours after the fire first started—KMP Tampomas II sank into the depths of the Java Sea, taking with it 288 passengers trapped on the lower deck. Captain Abdul Rivai was among the last to leave the ship. Before abandoning the vessel, he sent a final message to KM Sangihe: “Please send me water and food because I will remain with the ship until the very end.” The message was relayed by a surviving crew member, Bakaila, but unfortunately, Captain Sumirat could not fulfill the request.
Casualties and Rescue
The ship officially carried 2,174 passengers and 107 crew, but the estimated total including stowaways was around 2,812 people. One source estimated there were about 307 unregistered passengers. Rescue teams believe 1,217 people perished, including 612 bodies recovered and 411 declared missing, while 703 survived.
Tanker Istana VI rescued 144 people and recovered 4 bodies, KM Sengata rescued 169 people and 2 bodies, and KM Sonne retrieved 29 bodies, including that of Captain Abdul Rivai. Radio operator Odang Kusdinar survived and was found along with 62 others in a lifeboat near Duang-Duang Besar Island, about 240 km east of the sinking site, on Friday, January 30, 1981, at 5:00 AM.
Investigation
Minister of Transportation Roesmin Nurjadin announced that no abnormality was found in the engine room. Instead, the fire likely began in the vehicle deck, particularly among the motorcycles at the rear. Strong ocean waves may have triggered the fuel leaks and fire.
Third engineer Wishardi Hamzah admitted the ship had no smoke detection system. The investigation, led by prosecutor Bob Rusli Efendi Nasution, yielded little. All blame was directed at the ship's crew. Many suspected a government cover-up, despite numerous voices from parliament demanding a thorough and transparent investigation. (This article from many resources).
Under the command of Captain Abdul Rivai, the ship was en route from Jakarta to Sulawesi when it sank on January 27, 1981, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of passengers.
Tampomas II departed from Tanjung Priok Port on Saturday, January 24, 1981, at 7:00 PM local time, heading for Ujungpandang (now Makassar). The journey was expected to take around two days and two nights, with arrival estimated on Monday, January 26 at 10:00 AM. According to a ship guide, one of the engines had already experienced problems before departure.
The vessel carried dozens of motor vehicles, including a SAKAI milling machine and Vespa scooters, all loaded in the car deck. The ship's manifest recorded 191 cars and 200 motorcycles onboard. It was carrying 1,055 registered passengers and 82 crew members, but the total number onboard is estimated to be 1,442, including unregistered passengers (stowaways).
On the night of January 24, all was calm, with nothing unusual except for the beautiful sunset and the serene Java Sea. However, January waves are known to be rougher than in other months—waves reached 7–10 meters, with wind speeds up to 15 knots being quite common.
A live entertainment show was scheduled on the ship’s bar, featuring singer Ida Farida from the onboard band. An ominous moment occurred when a person named Ferry sang a farewell song, and he was never seen again after that.
How It Happened
On January 25, the day passed without incident. But that night, at around 8:00 PM (Central Indonesia Time), in the midst of a violent sea storm, a fuel leak occurred in the engine room, and a cigarette butt reportedly thrown through a vent caused a spark and fire.
The crew attempted to extinguish the flames with portable extinguishers but failed. The fire quickly spread into the engine compartment through an open deck door. The main engine shut down for 2 hours, the emergency generator failed, and firefighting efforts were abandoned due to worsening conditions.
Fuel inside the vehicles made the fire spread even faster, engulfing the decks in flames. Thirty minutes after the fire started, passengers were ordered to move to the upper deck and board the lifeboats. But evacuation was slow due to the only one access point to the upper deck. Once there, passengers found no guidance from crew members on where the lifeboats were. Some crew selfishly launched lifeboats only for themselves. Of the six lifeboats, each could only carry 50 people. In panic, some passengers jumped into the sea, while others waited in confusion and fear.
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News of the Sinking of KMP Tampomas II.The KMP Tampomas II was a Pelni passenger ship that caught fire and sank near the Masalembo Islands in the Java Sea on January 27, 1981. Source: SIB, January 28, 1981. |
Abdul Rivai, Captain of the Tampomas II Who Died Because of His Loyalty to DutyAbdul Rivai, Captain of the Tampomas II Who Died Because of His Loyalty to Duty
Photo from BOOMBASTIS Website
" The heroic story of Abdul Rivai, captain of the KM Tampomas II, is one of dedication and self-sacrifice as the ship caught fire and sank in the waters off Masalembo in 1981.
Despite the ship listing and beginning to sink, he prioritized the safety of his passengers, distributing life jackets and ensuring their evacuation before the ship sank with him".
Other ships, including KM Ilmamui, tanker Istana VI, KM Adhiguna Karunia, and KM Sengata (PT Porodisa Lines), later joined the rescue operation.
On January 26, heavy rain hit the Java Sea. Fire spread to the engine room, which still held unisolated fuel, causing an explosion the next morning on January 27. The explosion flooded the engine, propeller, and generator rooms, causing the ship to list 45 degrees.
Finally, at 12:45 PM (WIB) or 1:45 PM (WITA) on January 27, 1981, around 30 hours after the fire first started—KMP Tampomas II sank into the depths of the Java Sea, taking with it 288 passengers trapped on the lower deck. Captain Abdul Rivai was among the last to leave the ship. Before abandoning the vessel, he sent a final message to KM Sangihe: “Please send me water and food because I will remain with the ship until the very end.” The message was relayed by a surviving crew member, Bakaila, but unfortunately, Captain Sumirat could not fulfill the request.
Casualties and Rescue
The ship officially carried 2,174 passengers and 107 crew, but the estimated total including stowaways was around 2,812 people. One source estimated there were about 307 unregistered passengers. Rescue teams believe 1,217 people perished, including 612 bodies recovered and 411 declared missing, while 703 survived.
Tanker Istana VI rescued 144 people and recovered 4 bodies, KM Sengata rescued 169 people and 2 bodies, and KM Sonne retrieved 29 bodies, including that of Captain Abdul Rivai. Radio operator Odang Kusdinar survived and was found along with 62 others in a lifeboat near Duang-Duang Besar Island, about 240 km east of the sinking site, on Friday, January 30, 1981, at 5:00 AM.
Investigation
Minister of Transportation Roesmin Nurjadin announced that no abnormality was found in the engine room. Instead, the fire likely began in the vehicle deck, particularly among the motorcycles at the rear. Strong ocean waves may have triggered the fuel leaks and fire.
Third engineer Wishardi Hamzah admitted the ship had no smoke detection system. The investigation, led by prosecutor Bob Rusli Efendi Nasution, yielded little. All blame was directed at the ship's crew. Many suspected a government cover-up, despite numerous voices from parliament demanding a thorough and transparent investigation. (This article from many resources).
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