One of PT Timah’s offshore tin dredges has sunk after being hit by a storm on 8 July. The Dendang dredge, which operates off Kundur, had been undergoing maintenance work at the time. One of the crew died and two others are still missing.
"Maintenance on dredges is regularly carried out every year by floating them for 1-2 weeks during good weather between April and October," company secretary Prasetyo Saksono told Reuters today. "What happened on the day was a weather anomaly outside the company’s forecast."
The dredge is one of 15 operated by Timah and was expected to produce some 600 tonnes of tin-in-concentrate this year. The accident is unlikely to have a significant impact on Timah’s production in 2007, which is expected to exceed 50,000 tonnes.
