JAKARTA, May 19 (NNN-XINHUA) – The Indonesian Navy, with the help of China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy, managed to lift a life raft and other fragments belonging to the sunken Indonesian submarine, KRI Nanggala-402, in Bali waters.
At a televised press conference yesterday, Commander of the Indonesian Navy’s 2nd Fleet, Rear Admiral Iwan Isnurwanto said, the Chinese research vessel, Explorer 2, retrieved a 700 kg life raft from the seafloor.
“Vessel Tan Suo Er Hao (Explorer 2), succeeded in lifting the KRI Nanggala’s life raft. We have kept it well, as evidence that the ships from our friendly country had carried out their duties,” Isnurwanto told a media briefing, which was also attended by the defence attaché of the Chinese embassy in Jakarta, Chen Yongjing.
The life raft was buried in the mud before being retrieved, Isnurwanto said.
Other objects lifted by the Chinese vessel included the submarine’s antenna, the torpedo cable protector on the vertical rudder, the hydrophone in the bow, and the guidebook.
“No other major parts have been lifted yet, such as the bow section, sail section, and stern section,” Isnurwanto said.
During the operation, Explorer 2 also found a mud-covered crater, with a diameter of 38 metres and a depth of up to 15 metres, near the location where the submarine sank, he said, adding, the Chinese vessel focused on the crater and extended the search with sonar as it is muddy and dark.
The Indonesian Navy has been coordinating with the Chinese side to continue the lifting process, said Isnurwanto.
KRI Nanggala-402 sank in the waters north of Bali on Apr 21, with 53 people onboard, including 49 crew members, one commander, and three arsenal personnel.
The submarine, which has been used by the Indonesian Navy for about 40 years, sank at a depth of 838 metres under the sea.
The accident occurred when the submarine was in the middle of a training session, to carry out torpedo firing. The exercise was aimed at fostering operational readiness of soldiers and units in Bali waters.– NNN-XINHUA
