KMP Mutiara Sentosa II Passenger Data Remains Confusing, Urgent Manifest Audit

SURABAYA, KOMPAS - The search and rescue operation for the passengers of KMP Mutiara Sentosa II, which caught fire in the waters north of Madura, has entered its second day on Monday (3/8/2026). The Ministry of Transportation must promptly audit the ship's passenger manifest to clarify the discrepancies in the data.

The Advisory Council of the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI), Djoko Setijowarno, stated that a manifest audit can be conducted by matching the official passenger data of the ship with the actual number of passengers participating in the journey.

In addition, audits can be conducted by matching the type of cargo carried by vehicles while sailing. Based on field facts, several families of victims have difficulty locating their family members because they are not recorded as passengers on the ship and are only registered by their vehicle numbers.

"For expedition vehicles or freight transport, usually only the vehicle number is recorded, but there is no name of the driver or the assistant. Therefore, data matching needs to be conducted," said Djoko, Monday (3/8/2026).

The KMP Mutiara Sentosa II caught fire in the waters north of Madura on Sunday (2/8/2026) morning while en route from Surabaya to Makassar. The cause of the fire is still unknown. The ship was carrying hundreds of passengers and dozens of vehicles, including logistics transport or cargo expeditions.

Fauzi, one of the victims' family members, admitted to having difficulty locating Rizmanto, who is suspected to be one of the passengers on the ship. Rizmanto worked as a driver for an expedition vehicle that was set to deliver goods to Makassar.

"We can't speculate. We need certainty that the vehicles are indeed in accordance with the data," said Fauzi, Sunday (August 2, 2026).

The Head of the Surabaya Search and Rescue Office, Nanang Sigit, stated that based on preliminary data, the total number of passengers on the ship is 271 people. However, his office has not been able to confirm whether this passenger data corresponds to the actual number of those who set sail.

As of Monday (3/8/2026) afternoon, the number of victims successfully evacuated is 234, with details showing 229 survivors and 5 deceased passengers. Assuming a total of 271 passengers, it is estimated that there are still 37 missing passengers from the ship.

"The search for the passengers of the ship who have not yet been found continues. At the same time, the SAR team is also conducting the evacuation of both survivors and deceased victims, which is being carried out gradually at the Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya," said Nanang.

Since early morning, the joint Search and Rescue team received the arrival of both survivors and deceased victims who were evacuated gradually at Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya. The evacuation began at 05:00 WIB when the Selaras Mas ship docked at Tanjung Perak Port carrying 13 passengers of KMP Mutiara Sentosa II in safe condition. All victims were immediately directed to the Gapura Surya Nusantara area for medical examination and identity registration.

After that, five of the nine passengers who were previously evacuated by KN SAR 249 Permadi through Kalianget Port arrived at Tanjung Perak. Along with them, a survivor who was found earlier by fishermen was also taken to Surabaya. The joint SAR team conducted health checks and data collection for the survivors.

The next wave of evacuation arrived at 06:43 WIB. The ship Mutiara Ferindo 1 docked at Tanjung Perak Port carrying eight survivors and one deceased victim. The eight survivors were immediately taken to Gapura Surya Nusantara for medical examination and identity verification.

"Meanwhile, the victim's body was evacuated to the Bhayangkara HS Samsoeri Mertojoso Hospital in Surabaya for further identification," said Nanang.

The evacuation process continued at 08:40 WIB when KRI Nala-363 docked at the Koarmada II Pier. The Indonesian Navy warship carried 30 survivors and two deceased victims. The survivors underwent health checks and data collection at Gapura Surya Nusantara, while the two bodies were immediately sent to RS Bhayangkara HS Samsoeri Mertojoso.

In the midst of the evacuation process of victims to the shore, the search operation at the incident site continues. Nanang Sigit, as the Search Mission Coordinator (SMC), stated that the KN SAR 249 Permadi departed again from Kalianget Port at 08:15 WIB heading to the incident location to continue the search in accordance with the SAR operation plan.

The search involved various elements, including KP Manyar 5003, KRI Bung Hatta-370, KNP Grantin P 211, as well as a helicopter from the East Java Regional Police's Water Police Directorate. All elements scoured the search area to find signs of victims who have not yet been located.

The search and rescue operation involved the Class A Search and Rescue Office of Surabaya along with the II Fleet Command of the Indonesian Navy, the Main Port Authority of Tanjung Perak, the Surabaya Vessel Traffic Service, the Surabaya Search and Rescue Operations, the Kalianget Port Authority, the Kalianget Search and Rescue Operations, the East Java Regional Police, the Sumenep Police, the Sumenep Water Police, Pelindo, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, the East Java Provincial Disaster Management Agency, and the Sumenep District Disaster Management Agency.

In addition, it involved the Surabaya City BPBD, the Transportation Agency, the Sumenep Satpol PP, Rumah Zakat, as well as several ships located around the incident site, including Meratus Pematang Siantar, Meratus Project 3, TB Hasnur 26, Prakarsa Mas, Transco Arafura, SC Aila XVII, Alcon Daniel, Selaras Mas, and other SAR elements.