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Accidents

Perkasa (2019)

The ESYS casualty digest says Perkasa capsized at about 18:45 on 23 August 2019 near Batuq Village in Kutai Kartanegara Regency, East Kalimantan. The tug was towing a barge loaded with 2,160 tonnes of coral from Palu City, Central Sulawesi, toward Penyinggahan in West Kutai Regency. According to the digest, the tug suddenly developed a port list; the helmsman tried to stabilize it with counter-rudder, but that attempt failed and the tug capsized and sank. The digest reports that a 26-year-old crew member was missing. It does not identify the person, describe the subsequent search, or establish whether the person was later recovered or declared dead. No official causal findings or reliable vessel particulars were located.

Classification

  • Incident Type: Sinking
  • Severity: High
  • Region: Indonesia

Vessel Details

FieldValue
Vessel NamePerkasa
Vessel TypeTug
Flag State
IMO Number
Gross Tonnage
LOA (m)

Incident Details

FieldValue
Date2019-08-23
LocationMahakam River near Batuq Village, Kutai Kartanegara Regency, East Kalimantan
RegionIndonesia
Fatalities
Injuries
Missing1
Direct DamageTug capsized and sank while towing a coral-laden barge.
Economic Damage

Key facts

  • ESYS reports the sinking at about 18:45 on 23 August 2019 near Batuq Village on the Mahakam River.
  • Perkasa was towing a barge carrying 2,160 tonnes of coral from Palu City, Central Sulawesi, toward Penyinggahan in West Kutai Regency.
  • ESYS says the tug developed a port list and that the helmsman’s counter-rudder attempt to stabilize it failed.
  • The digest reports one 26-year-old crew member missing. It does not establish that person’s later outcome or give a verified fatality or injury total.

Narrative

The ESYS casualty digest says Perkasa capsized at about 18:45 on 23 August 2019 near Batuq Village in Kutai Kartanegara Regency, East Kalimantan. The tug was towing a barge loaded with 2,160 tonnes of coral from Palu City, Central Sulawesi, toward Penyinggahan in West Kutai Regency. According to the digest, the tug suddenly developed a port list; the helmsman tried to stabilize it with counter-rudder, but that attempt failed and the tug capsized and sank. The digest reports that a 26-year-old crew member was missing. It does not identify the person, describe the subsequent search, or establish whether the person was later recovered or declared dead. No official causal findings or reliable vessel particulars were located.

Sequence of events

Date/timeEvent
2019-08-23, about 18:45While towing the loaded barge on the Mahakam River, Perkasa developed a port list.
2019-08-23The helmsman’s counter-rudder attempt failed; Perkasa capsized and sank.
2019-08-23A 26-year-old crew member was reported missing.

Investigation

The reviewed account is a short secondary digest attributed to Tim Schwabedissen, not an official investigation report. Bounded searches of Indonesian SAR, investigation, and local-language sources did not identify a matching incident-specific record establishing the missing crew member’s later status or causal findings. Fatality and injury totals therefore remain unknown.

References

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