Jakarta. Three Indonesians have gone missing after a burning Emirati-flagged tugboat sank in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, early morning local time.

The Foreign Ministry announced Sunday that the boat, also known as Mussafah 2, was around the Strait of Hormuz, somewhere between Emirati and Omani waters. According to witness accounts, Mussafah 2 suffered an explosion and caught fire before it went down. 

The tugboat was about to tow a damaged container vessel at the time of the incident. Seven crew members — all coming from Indonesia, India, and the Philippines — were on board. Three individuals, including one Indonesian, survived. Four others remain unaccounted for. 

“Search and rescue efforts by local authorities are underway,” Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Yvonne Mewengkang said.

“We are calling for a thorough investigation into the incident.”

The Indonesian government has spoken to the local authorities and the company that owns the boat. 

The surviving Indonesian crew member is currently hospitalized in Khasab, Oman, for burn wounds. An Indonesian technician was on the container vessel near the sinking tugboat. He is now safe and sound in Abu Dhabi. 

Witness Accounts
The technician — known by his initials AEN — said that it all started when the container vessel Safeen Prestige suffered damage in Omani waters. The company later assigned Musaffah 2, carrying 7 crew members and 6 technicians, for repair. The lack of power supply prevented the team from fixing Safeen Prestige on site, forcing them to tow the vessel.

All technicians, including AEN, boarded the Safeen Prestige to assist with the towing preparations. The four Indonesian crew members — MP, SR, AS, YRJ — and other foreigners remained on the tugboat. When the technicians were almost done, Mussafah 2 exploded, causing a fire on board and in the bridge area.

Several crew members, including YRJ, survived.

MP, SR, AS, as well as a foreign national, are still missing as of writing.

The incident took place amidst the ongoing war in the Middle East. Uncertainties have clouded the Strait of Hormuz — a pivotal passageway for global energy supply — after the US-Israeli military struck Iran last week. 

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