Indonesian Navy Rescues 11 Papua New Guineans Stranded at Sea

Pacific Ocean — September 28, 2026

Eleven Papua New Guineans, including two children, were rescued after their boat suffered an engine failure and drifted in open waters, according to NBC Papua New Guinea.

Boat Drifts After Engine Failure

The group had left Buka Island at around 7 a.m. on Saturday, September 26, traveling toward Nissan Island.

Their seven-metre boat later developed an engine problem, leaving the passengers stranded at sea as conditions deteriorated.

The group consisted of eight men, one woman and two children.

Distress Signal Spotted at Night

The passengers were eventually spotted by the Indonesian Navy hospital ship KRI dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo-991, which was traveling toward Vanuatu as part of a regional mission.

At around 12:30 a.m. on September 27, an officer aboard the vessel noticed a flashing light in the distance that appeared to be a distress signal.

The ship immediately changed course and deployed its response teams to investigate.

All 11 Passengers Brought Aboard

The Indonesian naval vessel reached the stranded boat at approximately 1:02 a.m.

Medical personnel examined all 11 passengers after they were brought aboard. The rescued group was provided with food, clean drinking water, dry clothing and blankets while they rested on the ship.

No serious injuries were reported among the passengers.

Navy Helps Families Reconnect

After the rescue, the Indonesian Navy altered the ship’s route to return toward waters near Buka Island so the passengers could safely reach shore.

Once the group was within mobile phone coverage, one of the rescued passengers contacted relatives and informed them that everyone was safe.

Navy personnel later helped transfer the passengers and their belongings back to their families.

Safe Return After Hours at Sea

The rescue ended a difficult night for the 11 passengers, who had spent hours drifting after their boat lost its engine.

The KRI dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo-991 subsequently resumed its journey toward Vanuatu after completing the humanitarian rescue operation.

Sources

• NBC Papua New Guinea — Indonesian navy hospital ship rescues 11 PNG nationals stranded at sea — September 28, 2026.