RoRo Ferry Catches Fire While Anchored Off Indonesia’s Riau Islands
Ferry KMP Tandemand Catches Fire Near Batam Island, Crew Rescued Safely
On October 2, 2024, a ferry named KMP Tandemand caught fire while anchored off the coast of Batam Island in Indonesia’s Riau Islands. The fire started in the early afternoon, around 2:00 PM local time, but fortunately, all 14 crew members on board were safely rescued without any injuries.
Rescue Efforts and Firefighting Response
Two nearby ships rushed to help put out the fire. One of them, KN Rantos, stayed on site until about 6:40 PM to make sure the fire was completely under control. The ferry was not in operation when the fire broke out. The manager of the ferry company, Hermin Welkis, confirmed that the ship was anchored and empty of passengers at the time of the incident. He also reassured everyone that no one was harmed.
The fire happened in the waters of Telaga Punggur Batam, and a firefighting team was quickly sent to the scene to control the situation. The authorities are still trying to figure out what caused the fire.
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Possible Cause of Fire
According to Fauzan, the head of Traffic for the Riau Islands Land Transportation Management Center, the fire may have been caused by an electrical short circuit. He noted that the incident likely started around 1:00 PM WIB (Western Indonesia Time), an hour before the fire was first reported.
Navy and Local Help
The Indonesian Navy also joined the firefighting effort. A patrol boat that was nearby changed its route when they noticed smoke coming from the ferry. Navy Colonel Tony Priyo Utomo saw the smoke rising from the deck of KMP Tandemand. The Navy’s F1QR Team, using a boat called Patkamla Lingga, helped rescue 12 of the crew members from the burning ship.
Once the crew members were safely brought to shore at Lantamal IV Satrol Pier, some of them showed signs of being in shock from the scary experience, but all were otherwise unharmed.
Authorities are still investigating what caused the fire. The marine firefighting team is still in control of the KMP Tandemand, making sure everything is safe.
