Missing Hope: Indonesian Submarine Not Found As Oxygen Deadline Passes

By Staff, Agencies

Hopes of rescuing dozens aboard a missing Indonesian submarine are fading as its oxygen reserves are believed to have run out, turning the focus to retrieving the stricken vessel from waters off Bali.

As hundreds of military personnel took part in a frantic hunt for the KRI Nanggala 402, authorities said the German-built craft was equipped with enough oxygen for three days after losing power.

That deadline passed early on Saturday with still no sign of the missing vessel and its 53 crew.

Search helicopters and ships had left Bali and a naval base in Java heading to the area on Friday where contact was lost with the 44-year-old vessel on Wednesday as it prepared to conduct a torpedo drill, with the head of the Indonesian submarine fleet aboard.

An American reconnaissance plane, P-8 Poseidon, landed early on Saturday to join the search, along with 20 Indonesian ships, a sonar-equipped Australian warship and four Indonesian aircraft.

Singaporean rescue ships were also expected on Saturday, while Malaysian rescue vessels were due to arrive Sunday.

“So far we haven’t found it … but with the equipment available we should be able to find the location,” Achmad Riad, a spokesman for the Indonesian military, told a news conference on Friday.

An air force pilot said six tons of equipment had been flown to a base to help with the search, including underwater balloons to help lift a vessel.

The navy said it was investigating whether the submarine lost power during a dive and could not carry out emergency procedures as it descended to a depth of 600-700 meters, well beyond its survivable limits.

The submarine joined the Indonesian fleet in 1981, the defense ministry said, and underwent a refit in South Korea that was completed in 2012. It was said to be in good condition.