Supporting the Indonesian Airline Crash  Search Mission

- R/V “ARA”with search equipment on-board called to site -

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister MOON, Seong-Hyeok) has made a statement that technical personnel and equipment will be provided beginning on January 11 to support the search mission regarding the Indonesian airline crash that occurred on January 9. Upon the request of the Deputy Minister Safri Burhanuddin of the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs of Indonesia on the day of the crash, the Korean government made a  response to provide prompt assistance.

 
The ARA called to the search site is a 12-ton sized research vessel that was granted to the Indonesian government in December 2020 as part of an ODA project* operated by the Korean government. The research vessel is currently managed and operated by the Marine Technology Cooperation Research Center (MTCRC)** located in Indonesia, under the co-administration of Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST) and the Bandung Institute of Technology(ITB).
 * While the vessel is currently under the ownership of the Bandung Institute of Technology, its management authority lies within the Marine Technology Cooperation Research Center (MTCRC) according to the MOU signed as part of the ODA project.

** The center was established in September 2018 (located in Cirebon, Bandung Institute of Technology) with the role of joint research, education and training in the field of oceanography, as a follow-up of action of the MOU on marine cooperation signed by the Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Indonesian Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs

R/V ARA, upon completion of its mechanical inspection, made its departure at 4:30AM local time (6:30AM Korean time), on January 11, and arrived at the search site at 10:00AM local time (12:00PM Korean time).

Compared to existing equipment within Indonesian vessels, the Multibeam Echo-Sounder Mapping System and Subbottom Profiling System installed in the R/V ARA are ten times more precise and two times more fast in terms of observation speed. With a specialization in shallow sea research, the research vessel is expected to offer substantial aid in searching the crash site that is around 20 to 30 meters deep.

“The R/V ARA aided by the Korean government will be given a crucial role in the search and rescue activities at the crash site, and our expectations are certainly high,” stated Deputy Minister Safri Burhanuddin of the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs in his official letter on behalf of the Indonesian government.

“We send our deepest condolences to the tragic accident that occurred in Indonesia,” said Deputy Minister Woon-Yul Oh of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, further mentioning “as Indonesia is leading country among our partners with long historical ties in the field of oceans and fisheries, we will show our determined support in this humanitarian cause upon further request from the Indonesian government.”