T

he lack of metal detectors and negligent security at a seaport were contributing factors to a violent incident that occurred on board the KM Lambelu passenger ship during a stop at Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya, East Java, at 6 a.m. local time on Tuesday.

Tanjung Perak Port Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Anom Wibowo told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that witnesses said a man on board the ship, operated by state shipping company PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Pelni), began to attack passengers indiscriminately with a 50-centimeter machete. The knife-wielding man ' identified as MS, 59 ' injured 18 passengers before he was taken down by other passengers.

'The police are still investigating the case. We suspect the man was in a state of stress,' Anom said, adding that the perpetrator was arrested and the machete confiscated as evidence.

'Eight of the injured passengers needed surgery because of their wounds,' he said.

'They were all taken to PHC Tanjung Perak Hospital ' one of them is a four-year-old girl.'

PT Pelni Tanjung Perak branch business manager Zamroni said the victims' medical expenses would be covered by the state shipping company.

He blamed the incident on a lack of X-ray facilities at Namlea Port in Buru regency, Maluku, which meant passengers carrying metal objects, especially sharp weapons, were not picked up by security guards.

'This must be evaluated in the future,' Zamroni said, adding that such a facility would be the responsibility of port operators while shipping companies, such as PT Pelni and private companies, were just users of the port's services.

Passenger and cargo security facilities were among the topics discussed during the recent senior officials' meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (SOM-APEC) in Surabaya on April 7.

The International Maritime Organization, a specialized United Nations agency, formulated the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code as an amendment to the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention (1974/1988) on minimum security arrangements for ships, ports and government agencies.

The code was signed in December 2002 and brought into effect on July 1, 2004.