Hard to believe, but now another ferry fire!

Passengers Saved After Ferry Fire Off Jakarta


Less than two weeks after a ferry caught fire in the Sunda Strait, killing 27, another caught fire on Tuesday shortly after leaving Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok harbor, but all 225 people on board were rescued unhurt.

The KM Selvia, a ro-ro boat (roll-on roll-off ferry) carrying 175 passengers and 50 crew, was bound for Pangkalan Batam harbor in Bangka Island, but caught fire about an hour after leaving Tanjung Priok at 2:15 a.m., a press release from the Directorate General of Marine Transportation said.

The release said the flames were spotted coming from the engine room.

All 225 people on board were quickly rescued by eight boats — three marine coast guard boats, the KM Sahabat, three tugboats and one boat from the National Search and Rescue Agency — that had come in response to an SOS alert sent out by the Selvia’s captain.

It also said the speedy rescue was made possible because the captain had immediately taken action to douse the flames and send out the alert.

Sunaryo, director general of marine transportation, said the evacuation went smoothly with a minimum of panic among the passengers.

“At the moment, all passengers are in good condition and the KM Selvia has been towed to Tanjung Priok harbor for further investigation,” Sunaryo said.

Tatang Kurniadi, chairman of the National Commission of Transportation Safety (KNKT), said a team had been dispatched to investigate the possible cause of the fire.

The investigation, Tatang said, would take between three and 12 months to complete.