Several recent incidents in Bali’s waters have prompted rescue services and regulators to review marine transport safety standards in Indonesia.
The largest tragedy occurred on July 2 in the Bali Strait. The ferry KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sank in stormy weather. According to the documents, there were supposed to be 53 passengers, 12 crew members, and 22 vehicles on board, but the actual numbers were significantly higher. Seventy-five people were rescued, the bodies of 18 victims were found, and another 17 people are reported missing. It turned out some tickets were sold directly at boarding without adding the information to the official list. Relatives reported missing passengers whose names were not in the manifest.
The second incident occurred on August 5 at the entrance to Sanur Harbor. The Dolphin Cruise 2 tour boat sank at 3:15 PM with 80 people on board — 75 passengers and five crew members. Seventy-seven people were saved, and three died: two tourists from China and a 23-year-old local resident.
Considering this, it is recommended to purchase tickets for ferries and speedboats in advance through apps rather than at boarding, or to book tours with reputable agencies.
The head of the national search and rescue agency Basarnas, Edi Prawoko, emphasized that these tragedies have revealed systemic issues—overloading of vessels, breaches in passenger registration procedures, and neglect of weather warnings. This is especially dangerous in Balinese waters where storm conditions create critical environments for overloaded vessels due to wave height and wind strength.
The National Committee for Transportation Safety is investigating both catastrophes. Based on the findings, it is planned to tighten controls over load limits, improve passenger registration, and adhere more strictly to meteorological recommendations.
Recent incidents involving fishermen have also highlighted the issue. On August 9, near Yeh-Kuning village (Jembrana district), a powerful wave broke a local resident's boat in half. The man managed to jump overboard and swim to shore, and rescuers evacuated the wreckage. The damage is estimated at 30 million rupiahs. Local authorities urged fishermen to be especially cautious: just a week earlier, on August 1, six fishing boats were destroyed by high waves in the same area, fortunately without casualties.
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