ZCZC
BFF-27
MYANMAR-INDONESIA
Ghost ship bearing Indonesian flag found off Myanmar coast
YANGON, Aug 31, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – A rusting cargo ship empty of crew and
goods and bearing the Indonesian flag was found drifting off the coast of
Myanmar earlier this week, police in Yangon said.
Fisherman came across the vessel, bearing the name “Sam Rataulangi PB
1600”, floating in the Gulf of Martaban about 11 kilometres (7 miles) from
the shore of Myanmar’s commercial capital.
State-run media reported that the ship was being towed to neighbouring
Bangladesh.
Authorities and navy personnel boarded the vessel early Thursday to
investigate the situation, said a Yangon police statement posted on Facebook
late Thursday.
The ship was “stranded on the beach (and it was) bearing an Indonesian
flag,” the statement said.
“There was no sailors or goods on the vessel.”
According to the Marine Traffic website, which lists the movements of
ships around the globe, the vessel was built in 2001 and had a deadweight of
26,500 tonnes.
The ship’s transponder last reported its location off the coast of Taiwan
in 2009.
This is the first reported instance of an abandoned ship appearing in
Myanmar’s waters.
Old and unseaworthy vessels are often towed to Bangladesh’s southern
Chittagong province, which houses a thriving — and controversial — ship-
breaking industry.
BSS/AFP/RY/1550 hrs