Indonesia finds wreck of lost nickel ore carrier

A cargo ship that went missing in Indonesian waters in August of this year has been found lying at the bottom of the sea near its last reported position, officials in Jakarta told local media earlier this week.

The wreck of the 52,400DWT bulk carrier Nur Allya has been located north of Buru Island in the Halmahera Sea in eastern Indonesia. A multi-agency task force led by the country’s National Transportation Safety Commission found the wreck using a pinger locator system.

The Indonesian government has yet to issue a statement on the next steps it will take following its discovery of the vessel, which many suspect sank as a result of cargo liquefaction.

Nur Allya had been transporting nickel ore between North Maluku and Southeast Sulawesi provinces at the time of its disappearance.

A massive search and rescue (SAR) effort was then conducted in an area spanning thousands of square kilometres. However, no traces of the vessel’s 25 crewmembers were ever found.