Namse Bangdzod was a 1,950-ton Indonesian cargo ship-oil tanker that went missing on 28 December 2018. The ship departed on 27 December with 1 million liters of crude palm oil (CPO) from Sampit, Central Kalimantan, towards the Port of Tanjung Priok, Jakarta. She was manned by the 12 crewmembers and a captain, who were last-contacted in the early hours of 28 December.[5]

History
Indonesia
NameNamse Bangdzod
OwnerPT. Petronusa Niaga Energy[1]
OperatorPT. Surabaya Shipping Lines[2]
RouteSampitPort of Tanjung Priok
Launched1993[3]
IdentificationIMO number9078517
FateMissing from 27 December 2018 and presumed sunk or hijacked
General characteristics
Class and typeB
TypeGeneric
Tonnage1128 t
Length246.55 ft (75.15 m)
Draught13.12 ft (4.00 m)
Speed5.2 kn / 6°
Capacity1950 t DWT
Crew11 crew and 1 captain
NotesAs per MarineTraffic[4]

Namse Bangdzod was expected to arrive within a few days, but authorities lost communication in the coastal area the next day on 28 December 2018, and her whereabouts have never been confirmed.[6]

Disappearance

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As the ship was sailing on the pre-planned route between 27 and 28 December, the Indonesian Navy recorded changing positions at multiple times via her automatic identification system, but Namse Bangdzod's whereabouts have never been ascertained after last signal was received. Later, the National Search and Rescue Agency acknowledged that the disappearance of the tanker probably began with a pirate hijack, leading to an unexpected disappearance along with eleven crewmembers and a captain.[7] Her status was officially declared missing on 27 January 2019.[8]

Later development

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Maritime transport experts, Indonesian navy, and other official stated various reasons of Namse Bangdzod's disappearance. Maritime declined the presumed-sunk-claims citing, "It is unlikely that the vessel was adrift at sea as the Navy had found no sign of it". The Indonesian navy has also refused to acknowledge the hijacking-claims as they believed the route has no history of piracy and is considered as the safe one.

Indonesian authorities conducted a massive search to find the missing vessel. The search included four warships around the Java Sea, as well as maritime patrol aircraft from Surabaya to the central part of the country.[6] Despite months-long massive searches, it was declared missing on 27 January 2019.[9]

References

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  1. ^ Jiang, Jason (8 January 2019). "Indonesian tanker goes missing in Java Sea -". Splash247. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Tanker missing in Java sea hijacked?".
  3. ^ "UPDATE: Tanker missing in Java sea turned into mystery – Maritime Bulletin". Maritime Bulletin – Maritime and Crimean Shipping News. 8 January 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  4. ^ "NAMSE BANGDZOD (Oil Products Tanker) Registered in Indonesia". MarineTraffic. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Search still on for missing palm oil tanker - National". The Jakarta Post. 8 January 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  6. ^ a b "The curious case of the Namse Bangdzod: Mystery shrouds vessel's disappearance". The Jakarta Post.
  7. ^ "8 Eerie Ocean-related Mysteries". Listverse. January 30, 2020.
  8. ^ "Tanker loaded with palm oil missing in Java sea". FleetMon.com.
  9. ^ "Missing Ship / Indonesia/ 28 Dec 19" (PDF).