MUTIARA SENTOSA II

Ferry fire in Indonesia claims five lives

FerryFive people have been confirmed dead and a further 232 evacuated from a burning ferry in Indonesia, according to the Indonesian news agency Antara. The vessel involved is the 1992-built, 9,347 GT MUTIARA SENTOSA II, which has capacity for 730 passengers.

Operated by PT Atosim Lampung Pelayaran, MUTIARA SENTOSA II was sailing from Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya to Makassar when a fire broke out on board on Sunday morning (local time).

At the time, the ferry was 19 nautical miles north of Sapudi Island, local police authorities told Antara. A total of nine nearby vessels subsequently took part in the evacuation.

According to PT Atosim Lampung Pelayaran, MUTIARA SENTOSA II was carrying a total of 250 people, including crew. The company acquired the ferry second-hand from Japan in 2016, where it had previously operated under the names GOLDEN BIRD 5 and FERRY OSAKA.

PT Atosim Lampung Pelayaran operates six large ferries, all built during the first half of the 1990s and acquired second-hand from Japan.