Second Fire on Tanker in Indonesian Shipyard Kills 10 and Injures 21

Indonesian authorities are raising strong concerns after a second fire aboard a tanker undergoing repairs has killed 10 shipyard workers, less than five months after another fire killed four workers. The police are at the shipyard collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses after the overnight fire on the tanker Federal II.

The fire started at approximately 0430 local time on October 15, with witnesses reporting billowing smoke that was spreading over an industrial area of Batam. The police said it took firefighters about an hour to extinguish the fire.

The latest reports are that 10 shipyard workers were killed, mostly from smoke inhalation. Dozens of workers were also taken to four local hospitals. Initial reports said 18 were injured, but a police commander has now raised the number to 21. He said some were “heavily injured.”

The tanker, which was built in Japan in 1990, is 95,759 dwt and 761 feet (232 meters) in length. It has been at the ASL Shipyard for several months, with reports in June that it was being converted to an FSO. It had completed a 10-year charter to China’s CNOOC operating in the Widuri region.

The fire in June killed four shipyard workers and injured nine others. Police said today that the first fire was due to a buildup of gas that had not been properly vented and was ignited by sparks from welding. According to the report, two shipyard workers were suspects in the June fire, cited for failing to follow safety procedures. The police said today’s fire was in another part of the vessel.