John Aglionby, Jakarta – Indonesia admitted yesterday that it had undertaken fewer than half the reforms planned in the past four years for its maritime sector, after a ferry sank with more than 260 people on board.

Jusman Djamal, transport minister, said 245 people were missing after the Teratai Prima, went down in a hurricane en route from Sulawesi island to Borneo on Sunday. There were 22 survivors, including the captain, but no bodies had been recovered.

Mr Jusman said the planned creation of harbourmaster and port authorities, and reform of services implementation, were three examples of measures awaiting action. "We've done about 40 to 50 per cent of what we need to do," he told a press conference held after the latest ferry accident.

Ships are the only means of transport for tens of millions of Indonesians, particularly in the eastern half of the 17,500-island nation. But inadequate regulations and poor enforcement mean sinkings are common.

Experts in the maritime sector believe the minister's figures for action taken are probably an overestimate. "If accidents don't happen it's by luck, not by design," said one port operator.

Parliament passed a sea transport law in May that tightened rules and ended the state monopoly on port management. But the accompanying regulations have not been published, meaning much of the legislation cannot be implemented.

A port operator, who asked not to be identified, said the new law would have little impact on safety at sea. "The real problem is how the [authorities] organise themselves," he said.

Bambang Susantono, head of the Indonesian Transportation Society, a nongovernmental organisation, said devolution of responsibilities to inadequately trained local officials and a lack of resourceswould lead to frequent accidents.

"Bad weather can always happen and that can't be controlled," he said. "But too often the authorities aren't competent and shipowners and operators don't prioritise safety, so when accidents do happen the number of casualties is much higher than it could have been."