A teenager has survived 49 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean after his floating fishing hut was whisked away in strong winds.
Aldi Novel Adilang, 19, was working as a lamp keeper on a floating fish trap anchored 78 miles off the coast of North Sulawesi.
In mid-July, strong winds ripped his anchor from the ocean bed and sent his hut drifting more than 1,676 miles over the course of seven weeks.
Eventually, on August 31, Aldi - who had worked on the hut for three years - was able to send an emergency signal to the MV Arpeggio, a tanker in the water off Guam, and was rescued.
He has now told how he did not think he would survive at times and how he consulted the bible when he was afraid.
The small, hut-like fish trap floats on the surface of the sea and is only supported by buoys and attached to the seabed by a long rope.
Aldi has worked on it for three years. His job is to light the lamps which attract fish in the water.
Every month, someone comes to the hut to bring him food and supplies.,
On July 14, high winds tore the worn rope and rendered his buoys useless.
He was sent drifting, with only limited supplies of water, gas and fuel.
According to the Indonesian consul general in Osaka, Japan, Mirza Nurhidaya, the teenager was able to stretch out his weekly supplies for the full seven weeks.
'After he ran out of the cooking gas, he burned the wooden fences to make a fire for cooking.
'He drank by sipping water from his clothes that had been wetted by sea water,' the consul general told the Jakarta Post.
Stranded at sea, the teenager made many attempt to flag down passing ships to be rescued using a tattered cloth.
In a recent interview with Indonesian outlet TribunManado, Aldi said he thought he was going 'to die out there' and was so desperate he considered jumping into the water and giving up.
He said that in his darkest moments, he tried to remember his parents advice to pray in times of distress so he consulted his bible.
On August 31, he spotted the Panama-flagged vessel the Arpeggio off the coast of Guam and tried to wave it down but was unsuccessful.
He was then able to fine-tune his radio to a frequency which allowed him to connect with the cargo and send an emergency signal.
The crew pulled the teenager close to the vessel and plucked his weak-body from the Guam waters.
He was brought on board, given medical care and was then taken back to Japan to be handed over to consulate officials who arrived in Tokuyama on 6 September.
He flew home to his parents in Manado on September 8 and is now in good health.
'Aldi's story is indeed dramatic, and we are thankful to all - the ship's captain and the Japanese authorities - that have been very helpful in ensuring Aldi's return,' Mr Mirza said.
Music: "Universal" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Aldi Novel Adilang, 19, was working as a lamp keeper on a floating fish trap anchored 78 miles off the coast of North Sulawesi.
In mid-July, strong winds ripped his anchor from the ocean bed and sent his hut drifting more than 1,676 miles over the course of seven weeks.
Eventually, on August 31, Aldi - who had worked on the hut for three years - was able to send an emergency signal to the MV Arpeggio, a tanker in the water off Guam, and was rescued.
He has now told how he did not think he would survive at times and how he consulted the bible when he was afraid.
The small, hut-like fish trap floats on the surface of the sea and is only supported by buoys and attached to the seabed by a long rope.
Aldi has worked on it for three years. His job is to light the lamps which attract fish in the water.
Every month, someone comes to the hut to bring him food and supplies.,
On July 14, high winds tore the worn rope and rendered his buoys useless.
He was sent drifting, with only limited supplies of water, gas and fuel.
According to the Indonesian consul general in Osaka, Japan, Mirza Nurhidaya, the teenager was able to stretch out his weekly supplies for the full seven weeks.
'After he ran out of the cooking gas, he burned the wooden fences to make a fire for cooking.
'He drank by sipping water from his clothes that had been wetted by sea water,' the consul general told the Jakarta Post.
Stranded at sea, the teenager made many attempt to flag down passing ships to be rescued using a tattered cloth.
In a recent interview with Indonesian outlet TribunManado, Aldi said he thought he was going 'to die out there' and was so desperate he considered jumping into the water and giving up.
He said that in his darkest moments, he tried to remember his parents advice to pray in times of distress so he consulted his bible.
On August 31, he spotted the Panama-flagged vessel the Arpeggio off the coast of Guam and tried to wave it down but was unsuccessful.
He was then able to fine-tune his radio to a frequency which allowed him to connect with the cargo and send an emergency signal.
The crew pulled the teenager close to the vessel and plucked his weak-body from the Guam waters.
He was brought on board, given medical care and was then taken back to Japan to be handed over to consulate officials who arrived in Tokuyama on 6 September.
He flew home to his parents in Manado on September 8 and is now in good health.
'Aldi's story is indeed dramatic, and we are thankful to all - the ship's captain and the Japanese authorities - that have been very helpful in ensuring Aldi's return,' Mr Mirza said.
Music: "Universal" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Source: Daily Mail, Guardian, Manado Tribun, Jakarta Post
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