Indonesian Authorities have vowed to take action against a UK Cruise ship which recently smashed and ruined pristine coral reefs around Kri in Raja Ampat. The ship "Caledonian Sky" caused extensive damage at the popular tourist site lamented paradise home to many marine life.
Raja Ampat in the eastern Indonesia is said to have the most diversified marine life on earth. It attracts tourists & travelers from all around the world to the beauty of its palm fringed Islands filled with coral and marine life. The accident happened earlier this month when the 4200 ton ship crashed in the reefs on a low tide day in one of the hundreds of small Islands in the area. The cruise was on for the tourists bird watching expedition.
The residents of Raja Ampat are very upset because of the incident and have expressed serious concerns of the tourism negative impacts to the livelihood of the fisherman. The government is not taking it easy either and has already shown great reaction towards the accident.
“This will not be tolerated,” Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said.
“The government is very concerned and very worried about this incident and certainly all steps will be taken to ensure accountability.”
Mr Nasir further explained that government can take actions in seeking the extradition of the Ship's captain to Indonesia. As the destruction of the Islands and nature is a serious offense and someone found guilty of deliberately carrying out such an act could be jailed for up to 10 years.
Martin Makusi, a local tourist guide and owner of a homestay in Raja Ampat, said he was “devastated” by the destruction of the reefs.
“This incident makes me sad, disappointed and angry because the coral reefs in Raja Ampat are like paradise for us,” he told AFP.
Ricardo Tapilatu a famous marine researcher who also headed the team which assessed the impact and the damages caused to reef has said the damage caused to have affected 13,500 square meters of coral reef. The cost of restoration can go up 16.2 Billion dollars.
Noble Caledonia, the British-based company that operates the Caledonian Sky, said in a statement they were “very upset” by the damage to the coral reef and were working to reach a settlement with the government.