Indonesia submarine: 72 hours to find lost vessel – but it may be too deep to retrieve
Indonesian navy ships join the search for the missing submarine
(AFP via Getty Images)Indonesia has about 72 hours to search for a submarine that was reported missing with 53 people on board on Wednesday, but it could have fallen too deep to retrieve.
Indonesia’s navy chief of staff Admiral Yudo Margono said at a press conference on Thursday that the oxygen in the submarine would only last for about 72 hours, according to CNN.
The Indonesian navy said it believes the submarine sank to a depth of 600-700 metres, which is much deeper than its collapse depth estimated at 200 meters by a company that refitted the vessel.
The KRI Nanggala-402 was conducting a torpedo drill in waters north of the island of Bali on Wednesday when it lost contact, the Indonesian Ministry of Defense said.
An aerial search spotted an oil spill near the submarine’s dive location and the navy said it has narrowed the search down based on the spill.
The oil could indicate damage on the body of the submarine or could be a signal from the crew, the navy said.
Frank Owen, secretary of the Submarine Institute of Australia, told The Associated Press that the German-built submarine could be at too great a depth for a rescue team to operate.
An Indonesian navy spokesperson had earlier said that the diesel-powered submarine that runs on electric batteries while submerged could sustain a depth of 250-500 metres, but “anything more than that can be pretty fatal, dangerous.”
The navy said in a statement that “it was possible that during static diving, a blackout occurred so control was lost and emergency procedures cannot be carried out and the ship falls to a depth of 600-700 metres,” according to Reuters.
Search operations have intensified after Indonesia sent out an international distress signal and several countries, including India, Singapore, the United States and Australia, offered to help. Indian navy on Thursday said a deep submergence rescue vessel has departed to support the Indonesian navy in its operations.
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