Maritime Monster All Jobs Moored Here
On Tuesday, a fire broke out on another Southeast Asian ferry, this time at the port of Merak, Indonesia. Menegangkan Detik-detik evakuasi penumpang kmp batumandi di merak yang terbakar, proses evakuasi masih berlangsung saat ini. https://t.co/rZQe9Iv0pp
Yesterday afternoon at about 1600 hours, the ferry KMP Batumandi was arriving from Bakauheni, Lampung and entering the channel at Merak with 420 people on board. Smoke began to come from the stern, and passengers reported a small explosion a few minutes later, followed by a fire.
Some passengers escaped the flames by lowering themselves away on ropes, clambering over rails or jumping over the side – many without waiting to find a life jacket. Dozens of fishing vessels raced to assist in a spontaneous response, and were able to maneuver directly alongside within minutes to retrieve survivors. The harbor’s fishermen have been credited with saving hundreds of lives.
“One boat can carry 10 to 14 people, depending on capacity. Some passengers are taken directly to the pier,” a fisherman named Eka told Kompas. “Some of the others were relayed to large ships that had docked near the location so that the fishing boats could quickly return to pick up the remaining passengers.”
FULL ARTICLE AVAILABLE HERE: maritime-executive.com
