SAR vessels bolster safety in Indonesia

Designed and built by Indonesia’s PT. Karimun Anugrah Sejate of Batam, Kepulauan Riau, the KN SAR Wisnu and KN SAR Kamajaya are both 68m by 12m with a 5.5m moulded depth. They are each fitted with three Cummins KTA50-M main engines.

Each of these engines delivers 1800 HP at 1900 RPM to propellers through ZF 5055 gears. This propulsion gives the vessel a 20-knot working speed. Two bowthrusters enable a high level of manoeuvrability when holding location for emergency duties.

Wisnu and Kamajaya will also be fitted with ROVs and sophisticated sonars for underwater searches.

The size of the vessels means there is significant capacity for transporting SAR crews and for rescuing victims of marine or terrestrial disasters.

The large volume of marine traffic gives Indonesia a huge responsibility in terms of marine search and rescue. At the same time the many islands located on major fault lines and with several active volcanos, provide some unique search and rescue challenges. Not only are boats required for marine rescue or terrestrial evacuation, they must also be ready to transport SAR personnel to remote spots.

By Rebecca Jeffrey