Indonesian authorities have labelled the the collision between Norwegian tanker Cathinka and Indonesian ferry Bahuga Jaya a hit and run incident, as Cathinka left the scene immediately after the collision. The Norwegian owner reject the accusations, saying in a press release that the captain exercised sound judgement.
Eight persons has been confirmed dead and 40 are missing bringing the expected casualties up to 50 persons.
Captain Ernesto Lat, a Filipino, and Chief Officer Su Jibing, a Chinese national, have been named suspects by Indonesia’s National Police after the chemical tanker Norgas Cathinka collided with the Indonesian ferry Bahuga Jaya in the Sunda Strait.
“We have secured the ship,” Banten Police’s head of sea patrol, Adj. Sr. Comr. Tohir, said after the accident. “We worry that the ship will try to run away again.”
The head of I.M. Skaugen SE, the Norwegian company that owns the tanker ship Norgas Cathinka, defend the decision of the ship’s captain to leave the scene, after the deadly collision in Indonesian waters on Sept. 26.
“From what we have learned so far, we believe our captain has exercised sound judgement and made the right decision when attempting to minimize the risk of a further collision and a possible explosion due to the hazardous cargo on board our vessel. He followed company regulations and international law in this process,” Morits Skaugen, the CEO of I.M. Skaugen SE, says in a press release.
