The front-page headline of newspapers reported the loss of the Teratai Prima boat and hundreds of its passengers after sinking in Majene waters, South Sulawesi.

This news looked strange because the journalist failed to specify the conditions of the 18 victims when they were rescued, especially whether they wore life vests or any other gear.

It is odd because when I was a reporter covering sea accidents, my primary task was to seek data on the ship's preparedness to provide all passengers with necessary safety equipment and instructions for their use.

When the weather is predicted to get worse and the ship is entering a zone with strong currents, passengers should be told to wear life vests, beginning usually several nautical miles away from the area with high waves or intense flows.

Therefore, the ship's crew will warn passengers who still don't wear vests and notify them that unless the rule is observed, the crew will be legally blamed and, in the case of an accident, be brought to trial to account for the mishap.

However, this rule taught to journalists in the 1970s has now apparently been overruled, so that in the case of the Teratai Prima disaster, the reporter deemed it unimportant to refer to the presence or absence of such a safety system during sea travel.

It seems all passengers are viewed as good swimmers or in possession of their own jackets.

M. Kasiyanto

Jakarta

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