The sinking of MV Sinar Baru occurred on 18 June 2018 when a ferry carrying approximately 180 passengers and crews sunk at the largest lake in Indonesia, Lake Toba in the province of North Sumatra. The ferry was travelling from Simanindo Harbour in Samosir Island to Tiga Ras Harbour in Simalungun Regency. Authorities immediately deployed search and rescue personnel to the area. As of June 20, 18 survivors were rescued, 4 bodies were found and 192 people were listed as missing.

Sinking

MV Sinar Baru was travelling from Simanindo Harbour in Samosir Regency, which was located on Samosir Island, to Tiga Ras Harbour in Simalungun Regency. Officials stated that many of the passengers who boarded the ferry were tourists, who were travelling with families to Indonesia's largest supervolcano lake, Lake Toba. It was holiday season in Indonesia so the ferry was packed with passengers. Authorities stated that the ferry sunk at around 17:00-17:30 local time.^[1]

Survivors stated that the winds were blowing hard and that the waves were rough.^[2] Another survivor stated that the steering wheel snapped during the disaster. The weather at the time was confirmed to be in adverse condition. with heavy rain reportedly present. The ferry swayed for at least 3 times until it finally capsized to the right. The sinking happened just 22 minutes after it had left the harbour. Survivors recalled that passengers were screaming and were fighting to get out of the ferry as quickly as possible, with multiple people got crushed or trampled during the disaster. A woman stated that she had tried to save her children but she couldn't as they were trampled by the other passenger.^[3]

A video which was taken during the disaster was uploaded by a passenger of the ferry to social media. The video showed that the ferry had fully capsized. It revealed that most passengers initially had survived the sinking. At least 50-60 survivors were seen in the video, most were seen clinging onto the hull of the ferry while the others were swept away. Screaming and crying could be heard in the video. The video also showed that the passengers didn't use any lifejackets or any other life-saving equipment.^[4]

A second video, which was taken by a member of the search and rescue team, showed that the ferry had fully submerged and that the number of the survivors had decreased significantly. Less than 30 survivors could be seen in the video. No survivors were seen clinging anymore.^[5]

Passengers and crews

As there was no passenger manifest, authorities had no clue on how many people were actually on board.^[6][7] Initially, around 80-100 were thought to be on board the ferry. The number was later revised down to 70. However, as authorities asked the public to report any missing relatives, who were suspected as passengers of the ferry, the number rose to 94. The number continued to rise and as of June 19, 145 people were reported missing. Survivors claimed that around 200 people and 100 motorbikes were on board.^[8] The name of the 41 people who were reported as missing were posted on Simanindo Harbour, while the other 104 names were posted on Tiga Ras. Officials confirmed that 128 people and 50 vehicles were on board the ferry. They added that the data may change.^[9]

On June 20, the National Search and Rescue Agency confirmed that a total of 166 people were reported as missing.^[10] Later in the afternoon, the number of people reported as missing reached 192.^[11] However, several names were later removed after it was revealed that several of them didn't board the ferry.

Search and Rescue

On June 18, joint search and rescue team were assembled and deployed to the area. The rescue teams were consisted of the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency, the Indonesian Armed Forces, regional and local government officials, the Indonesian Agency for Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysics, and the Regional Disaster Management Board. The site of the sinking was located at around 2 nautical miles from the harbour. 18 people were found to have survived the sinking and 1 body was found on the afternoon. The first victim of the disaster was identified as Tri Suci Wulandari, a student from Aceh Tamiang, Aceh. Helicopters and ferries were deployed by authorities. The survivors were transported to Simarmata Community Health Center, Hadrinus Sinaga Regional Hospital and Dolok Padarmean Community Health Center.^[12]

On June 19, officials stated that 350 personnel were deployed to assist the search and rescue operation. The rescue operation was hampered by bad weather^[13] and lack of equipment. Personnel from the Jakarta were called. Personal belongings were retrieved from the water, however neither victims nor survivors were found.^[14] The search and rescue operation was called off. On late evening of June 19, a Hercules C-130 carrying multiple personnel and advanced equipment arrived at Silangit Airport.^[15]

On June 20, at least 7 ships were deployed by command center. The search area was widened to 3.6 square kilometers.^[16] Divers were dispatched to Lake Toba. By the evening, search and rescue recovered more bodies, bringing the death toll to 4.^[17] Authorities stated that the other bodies were most likely to be trapped inside the wreckage of the ferry.^[18]

Investigation

Personnel from the National Transportation Safety Committee were sent by the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation. Police confirmed that the weather at the time was in bad condition and added that it might have contributed to the cause of the disaster. They later added that, based on multiple accounts, the ferry might have been overloaded.^[19]

Indonesian Agency for Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysics claimed that they had warned people twice to not board any boat or ferry, just hours before the disaster.^[20] Two severe weather warnings had been issued by the agency. The first was issued on 11:00 a.m and the second was issued on 14:00 p.m. They had warned that the weather in and around Lake Toba would deteriorate on that day. Records showed that there was significant change on the speed of the winds during the disaster. Waves reaching as high as 2 meters was also recorded.^[21]

Indonesian Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi stated that the ferry was grossly overloaded. The ferry was identified as a 35 tonnage type boat. He added that the ferry could only hold a maximum number of 43 people. Reports stated that on the day of the disaster over 100 people had boarded the ferry.^[21]

Aftermath

Jasa Raharja stated that they would cover the expenses of the victims, stating that a total amount of 50 million rupiah would be given to the relatives of the deceased while a total amount of 20 million rupiah would be given to the relatives of the injured survivors.^[22]

Following the discovery of several problems, shortcomings and failures on the operator of MV Sinar Baru and its management, the Ministry of Transportation issued a temporary ban on ferry services in Lake Toba. An audit would be conducted in response to the disaster. The ban wouldn't be lifted until the audit completed.^[23]

References