A British-owned cruise ship crashed into pristine coral reefs, causing extensive damage in a remote corner of Indoneisa known as one of the world’s most biodiverse marine habitats.
Raja Ampat in eastern Indonesia has long been a top attraction for travellers and divers, home to palm-fringed islands surrounded by an underwater kaleidoscope of coral and fish.
But the 4,200-ton Caledonian Sky slammed into the reefs at low tide around Kri, one of hundreds of small islands in Raja Ampat, after completely a bird-watching tour on Waigeo Island on March 4.
The boat, which was carrying 102 passengers and 79 crew, became grounded on the reefs and had to be re-floated by a tug boat before continuing on its journey.
It destroyed the ecosystem’s structural habitat and the reduction or loss of diversity of eight coral genera, including acropora, porites, montipora and stylophora.
The accident damaged approximately 13,500 square metres of coral reef which could cost up to $16.2m to restore, according to Ricardo Tapilatu, a marine researcher from the University of Papua heading a team assessing the impact.
The ship had been grounded despite having GPS and radar instruments.
Mr Tapilatu said: ‘A tugboat from Sorong city was deployed to help refloat the cruise ship, which is something that shouldn’t have happened because it damaged the reef even worse.
‘They should’ve waited for high tide to refloat the vessel.’
There has been outrage in the local tourism industry which relies on Raja Ampat’s natural wonders for its survival.
Stay Raja Ampat, a website that links tourists up with homestays, wrote on its Facebook page: ‘How can this happen? Was a 12-year-old at the wheel?
‘Anchor damage from ships like these is bad enough, but actually grounding a ship on a reef takes it to a whole new level.
‘Luxury megayachts pass through quite often. Some (like the Caledonian Sky) are tour company vessels, others are privately owned. They all do serious damage to reefs when anchoring, even when doing so in approved water depth. This is just crazy though.’
The vessel had set sail from Papau New Guinea on February 25 and was scheduled to arrive in the Phillipines on March 14.
Environmental group Conservation International said the Bahamas-flagged ship had gone into an area it should not have entered due to the unique coral reefs.
Victor Nikijuluw, the marine programme director at Conservational International Indonesia, told AFP: ‘This is a very, very big loss for us.’
The ship’s operator, Britain-based tour company Noble Caledonia, said in a statement that it is ‘firmly committed to the protection of the environment and as such deeply regrets any damage caused to the reef’.
Describing the incident as ‘unfortunate’, a spokesman said ‘it is imperative that the reasons for it are fully investigated, understood and any lessons learned incorporated in operating procedures’.
He said the ship was operating in a remote area off Kri Island when it grounded on an unchartered shoal.
‘The relevant authorities were immediately informed, and divers inspected the underwater part of the hull,’ he said.
‘The inspection revealed that the hull was undamaged and remained intact. The ship did not take on water, nor was any pollution reported as a result of the grounding.
‘The vessel was relfloated on the next tide and was anchored safely nearby to allow a full assessment of the hull and machinery to be made.
‘That inspection revealed nothing more than superficial damage and after liaison with the relevant local authorities, the ship sailed to take up a slightly revised version of her planned itinerary.’
The Indonesian government said it was assessing the damage and would seek compensation from the company.
Due to Raja Ampat’s special biodiversity, as well as the fact the damage occurred in a national park, the evaluation team will recommend the opertator pay compensation of $800-$1,200 (£650-£985) per square metre, for a total of $1.28m-$1.92m, according to Mr Tapilatu.
The remote archipelago of Raja Ampat – which means Four Kingdoms in Indonesian — lies between the Pacific and Indian oceans.
A 2002 report from Conservation International said it was home to nearly 1,400 varieties of fish and 603 species of coral.
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.