Mutiny on the Spirit of Majapahit

In an unfortunate turn of events, the crew of the Spirit of Majapahit, a replica of a ship on the walls of Borobudur have reportedly mutinied and refused to proceed further with their planned voyage from Indonesia to Japan and back. The crew cited overly dangerous sea conditions beyond the capabilities of the ship, the lack of insurance and late payments and are returning home from Manila.

Mutiny on the Majapahit: Crew Says Too Dangerous to Sail On
Jakarta Globe, 12 August 2010

Mutinous Crew on Spirit of  Majapahit Brings Historic Voyage to Abrupt End
Jakarta Globe, 13 August 2010

When the Spirit of Majapahit, a reconstruction of a 13th-century merchant ship, embarked on its eight-country expedition a month ago, it hoped to showcase the country’s maritime spirit and relive the past glory of the Majapahit Empire.

But after visiting just two countries, its crew members are heading home on a plane, and the ship will be sent back to Indonesia in a container.

“The expedition ended because of bad weather, mismanagement and the ship’s poor condition, which renders it unusable,” an Indonesian crew member said in a text message to the Jakarta Globe.

The decision came following mediation talks held late on Friday night in Manila.

The ship, which has 10 Indonesian and three Japanese crew members, docked in the Philippines capital on Aug. 4. It was supposed to depart for the Japanese island of Okinawa two days later, but bad weather and technical problems derailed plans.