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View all search resultsAt least 25 missing after series of boat accidents in East Java
July and August mark the peak of the high-wave season in East Java waters, driven by the Australian monsoon and swells from the Indian Ocean.
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Fishing fleet: A worker walks past a row of fishing boats on Dec. 22, 2025, at the shipyard of boat maker PT Siagan Boats in Makassar, South Sulawesi. The South Sulawesi provincial administration, through its Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Agency, provided over 20 fishing boats with 5 tonnes capacity as part of efforts to boost fishing yields and fishermen’s incomes in the province. (Antara/Hasrul Said)
E
xtreme weather and rough seas have caused a series of boat accidents in East Java, leaving at least 25 people missing over the past two months.
The latest incident occurred on July 25, when the fishing vessel KMN Fatma Jaya 1 lost contact in waters west of Bawean Island in Gresik regency.
The vessel was carrying five fishermen: skipper Slamet Suudin, 50, and crew members Damar, 38, Lutfi, 37, Denis, 28, and Taufiq, 45.
According to authorities, the boat departed from Brondong Fishing Port in Lamongan regency on July 24. The following day, Slamet contacted a Bawean resident, Hodiin, by radio to request assistance. However, communication was cut short, and the vessel has not been heard from since.
The fishermen's families reported the vessel missing to authorities on Tuesday, prompting a large-scale search and rescue operation involving the local search and rescue agency, police, fisheries officials and volunteers.
Head of Surabaya Search and Rescue Agency (SAR) Nanang Sigit said efforts to find the five missing fishermen had been hampered by severe weather conditions. High waves, strong currents and strong winds forced the SAR team to suspend the physical search on Tuesday and Wednesday.
"Although the physical search was suspended, information about the missing KMN Fatma Jaya 1 continued to be broadcast to vessels operating in the area, asking them to report any sightings or indications of the boat," Nanang said on Wednesday.
