Badung, Bali (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Navy's Chief of Staff, Admiral Yudo Margono, has said oxygen supply on KRI Nanggala 402 might suffice for five days, if the missing submarine has not experienced a power blackout.
"If the ship is not in blackout, or still has electrical capacity, this (oxygen supply) will suffice for five days," Margono told the press here on Saturday.
He, however, said he could not confirm whether a blackout occurred on the German-made submarine when it dove in the waters of north Bali on Wednesday (April 21, 2021).
“Yesterday, I said that (the submarine’s engine and electricity) were still running, some signs could be heard from the frog squad (Kopaska) tracking ship, which was located 50 meter from the missing submarine," he added.
Based on this information, Margono said he hopes that KRI Nanggala 402 has not lost power.
In case the submarine has lost power, its oxygen reserves will run out in three days, he added.
Contact with KRI Nanggala 402, which was carrying 53 people on board, was lost during live torpedo training exercises off the tourist island on Wednesday.
The search for the submarine was focused on nine locations in the northern waters of Bali, about 40 kilometers from the Celukan Bawang coast in Buleleng district, after rescuers found oil spills and detected a strong magnetic force about 50 - 100 meters under the water’s surface.
Margono said the submarine is expected to have moved about 2 miles from its diving location.
The Indonesian military has deployed 21 warships, including those with sonar detection capability for underwater tracking. The warships include KRI Rigel-933, KRI Rimau-724, and the KRI Alugoro-405 submarine.
Some countries have also deployed their vessels for the search mission, including MV Swift Rescue from Singapore, MV Mega Bhakti (Malaysia), HMAS Ballaratand HMAS Sirius (Australia), SCI Sabarmati (India), and a Poseidon aircraft (the US).
The Indonesian Police and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) have deployed ships, remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV), and drones for the search. (INE)
EDITED BY INE
