Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST)  announced that in support of the search for the Indonesian passenger plane that crashed January 9, it has sent an Ara ship and research personnel from the Korea-Indonesia Marine Technology Cooperation Research Center (MTCRC).

The Ara ship was delivered to Indonesia by the Korean government under the ocean and fishery science and technology ODA project. The 12-ton vessel, operated and managed by the MTCRC, is specialized for research in shallow seas. The ship departed the MRCRC at 04:30 on January 11 local time (06:30 KST) and arrived at the crash site about 220 km from the MTCRC at 14:00 (16:00 KST).

The vessel, equipped with a 3D echo sounder and a sub-bottom profiling system, will determine the site of the accident and locate the airplane’s fuselage. The ship’s equipment is more precise and efficient in observation than that in Indonesian ships, and thus is suitable for searching at the crash site, which is at a depth of 20 to 30 meters.

The MTCRC was established at the Kampus ITB Cirebon in September 2018 under a Memorandum of Understanding for maritime cooperation between the Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment of Indonesia in May 2016 for the promotion of collaborative research and education in maritime affairs.

President Kim Woong-seo remarked, “KIOST is dedicated to analyzing the causes of the accident and collecting airplane debris through on-site support using research personnel and equipment,” and added, “We hope Indonesia will soon overcome the shock and sadness from this accident.”