Next, they were invited to a WhatsApp group consisting of crew members who had agreed to take the job. Other information about departure was then conveyed through the group. Based on the documents we obtained, the crew members came from various locations. Some of them were directed to the location of PT Kelola Mina Internasional in Probolinggo, East Java.
There, he and and the recruited crew members slept on cardboard boxes.
While they waited to go out to sea, the new recruits asked about their work contracts. However, they never get clarity from the recruiter.
On 20 February 2024, around the time of Maghrib prayers, the fishermen are told to go to Mayangan Port, which is less than a kilometer away.
When they get there, they find the 280 GT container ship Ocean Once already waiting for them.
After a few hours, the ship leaves the port and heads East. None of the fishermen know where they are being taken.
After a week at sea, Ocean One comes to a stop in the Arafura Sea and, near RZ 03 and RZ 05.