Ferry KMP Batumandi sinks in Merak entrance channel a day after fire forced evacuation
All passengers and crew were taken off by KMP Royce 1 after the fire broke out on the Bakauheni-Merak crossing
The Indonesian passenger ferry KMP Batumandi sank in the entrance channel of Merak harbour on the evening of 21 October, a day after fire broke out on board during a crossing of the Sunda Strait. All passengers and crew had been evacuated, and no casualties have been reported.
The ferry left Bakauheni at about 14:52 local time on 20 October, bound for Merak. Merak VTS received the first report of the fire at about 16:15, with the ship at the entrance to the Merak crossing in Cilegon, Banten. At 16:56 the ferry KMP Royce 1 reported that it had taken off all passengers and crew.
The response brought in the tugs Gunung Cipala, Avatar Harbour, Teluk Jakarta, Tirtayasa V, Gunung Batur and Gunung Santri, KNP 333, the ferries KMP Royce 1, KMP Munic 3 and KMP SMS Mulawarman, and the customs boat BC 9006. "Our top priority is ensuring the safe evacuation of all passengers and crew," said Yogie Nugraha, head of the Banten port authority, who said officers had coordinated with Merak VTS, port officials and Basarnas, the search and rescue agency.
The fire was put out, but the ferry went down the following evening. Merak VTS broadcast a navigational warning to all passenger ships in the Sunda Strait that she had sunk at 05°56.732'S 105°59.376'E in the Merak ferry entrance channel. The state ferry operator ASDP Indonesia Ferry said she capsized and sank at about 20:54 and that it is working with the authorities to keep the wreck from disrupting traffic.
The cause of the fire has not been determined and will be investigated, and the authorities say the ship's condition will be released after official verification. The port authority has urged operators to make sure their ships meet technical requirements and to improve emergency preparedness.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 25 October 2026.
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