Passenger ship catches fire in Semarang waters

Semarang, C Java (ANTARA) - A passenger ship, owned by PT Dharma Lautan Utama (DLU), caught fire in Semarang waters, Central Java, on Sunday while it was out of commission for repairs, a police officer said.

A team of personnel from the Central Java Water and Air Police unit (Polairud) had been deployed to help extinguish the fire ravaging MV Kirana I, Central Java Police spokesman Sen Coms Artanto said.

Efforts to extinguish the fire were underway, he said, adding that the ill-fated vessel did not carry any passenger as it was being repaired when the fire accident occurred.

He has yet to know the causes of fire that ravaged the vessel, he added. Meanwhile, Head of PT DLU-Semarang Office Herman Fajar said MV Kirana I has actually been scheduled to dock at Tanjung Emas Port prior to its sailing schedule on August 13.

Fajar said all crew members had been evacuated from the ship which did not carry any passenger when it caught fire. As reported earlier that Indonesia has seen a string of maritime accidents over the past few years.

In June 2020, for instance, a tugboat, Multi Sahabat 8, capsized in the Batu Ampar waters, off Batam Island, Riau Islands Province. Although four of the tugboat’s crew survived, its skipper went missing.

On September 6, 2023, MV Mutiara Berkah I, carrying 135 cargo trucks and 159 passengers, caught fire at the Indah Kiat Port of Cilegon City, Banten Province. On January 21, 2024, the LCT Bora V vessel capsized in the Tagulandang waters of Kepulauan Sitaro District, North Sulawesi Province, after being hit by rogue waves in the midst of extreme weather.

Baca juga: TNI-AU surveillance aircraft helping search for missing Cita XX
Baca juga: Naval ship docks in Egypt, unloads aid for Palestinians

The ill-fated passenger ship, whose ramp door was reported to have fallen off after being crashed by rogue waves, carried 18 people. On March 11, 2024, MV Pari Kudus, carrying 32 passengers and three crew members, capsized in the Rambut Island waters off the Seribu Islands.

According to the Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the passenger ship headed to Mutiara Beach in North Jakarta from Asha Resort on Payung Island in Jakarta's Seribu Islands District, but capsized in the Rambut Island waters.