Agia-Dynami

The 'Asia Pearl IV', loaded with 30,000 tons of white sugar and a crew of 24 on board, ran aground off Mendanau Island in pos. 02° 38.97' N 107° 14.96' E while enroute from Laem Chabang to Merak on May 2, 2020, ETA May 3. While the ship remained firmly aground, the owners have contracted the PT Samudera Mbianti Sesami and SMIT Land Marine Engineering (Far East) Pte Ltd., under Lloyd’s Open Form to refloat the vessel. It was also likely that General Average would be declared. The crew remained on board and have undergone health checks. They have been found to be in good health. Two rescue boats have been kept on stand-by for the vessel. Officials believed that human error was the cause of the grounding. The hull integrity and stability were not compromised. A health protocol screening o f the crew was administered, including temperature checks. Indonesian officials will conduct a dive examination to determine if there is evidence of coral reef damage. A joint team of government officials and researchers would revisit the site to determine the full extent of the impact. The location of the grounding did not interfere with the approaches to Tanjung Pandan Port, the largest port on Belitung Island. Report with photo: https://bengkulu.antaranews.com/nasional/berita/1484284/@antarabengkulu