JAKARTA, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Corrupt officials in Indonesia frequently allow grossly overloaded ferries and ships without adequate safety equipment to leave seaports, shipping experts say.
"Ship captains usually bribe harbor masters at seaports in order to get sailing permits although they don't meet transportation safety requirements," the Jakarta Post daily on Saturday quoted public transportation observer Agus Pambagyo as saying.
"Just look at the (many) vessels sailing in the nation's straits and oceans. It's easy to tell they are not well-maintained," he said.
Last Friday, the Senopati Nusantara ferry sank in the Java Sea in rough seas, with more than 600 people on board. About 400 of them are still missing. The vessel was licensed to carry 850 people.
Preliminary investigations indicate more lives could have been saved if safety regulations had been properly observed on board, officials have said.
Under the 1992 Law of the Sea in Indonesia, captains are responsible for the safety and security of ships and their passengers.
Harbor masters are supposed to scrutinize ships sailing permits and seaworthiness.
They are also supposed to check ships' nautical equipment, radios, total loads, passenger numbers and crew.
Captains granted permits must sail within 24 hours or apply for new documents.
The Indonesian Transport Community (MTI) confirmed many sea accidents in the country involved overloaded vessels, and that many of them, particularly those involving medium-sized boats, were often not reported to the central government.
"There is more demand for sea trips than the supply of ships or ferries. This has encouraged the captains to neglect safety measures because of overloading," MTI chairman Bambang Susantono was quoted as saying on Friday.
Bambang said that most seaports lacked an effective mechanism to control passengers boarding the ships without tickets.
Other vessels changed their functions, loading passengers or cargo without official permission, he said.
