A shipping accident approximately 10 kilometers from Manggis, off Bali’s eastern shore, claimed the lives of 5 crew and insured scores more on Wednesday, 07 August 2024.
As reported by NusaBali.com, when it caught on fire at 3:00 am, MV Elisabeth Satu, a petroleum tanker, had just taken on its cargo of bulk petroleum and was one hour into its delivery voyage destined for the Port of Badas on Sumbawa Island in NTB.
According to Rizky Wulandari, a Master’s Mate 1 (Mualim 1) on board the MV Elisabeth Satu (IMO Registration: 9805128), the tanker fire began at 1:18 am on Wednesday with an explosion on the port (left) side of the 90-meter-long vessel’s crew mess. Shortly thereafter, another large explosion and fire occurred in the engine room, rendering the tanker unmaneuverable.
The vessel’s Captain, Muhamad Haris Al Razak, said: “There were explosions, and then the ship lost all power (blackout). We immediately called for assistance from the operations post at Tanjung Mangis.”
From a total crew complement of 21, five men in the engine room at the time of the incident were burnt to death:
- Joko – Oiler
- Ismail – Oiler
- Riski – 4th Machinist
- Syahlan – Oiler
- Faturahman – Machinist cadet
Another 15 crew members were injured in the fire. Twelve crew members (3 females and 9 males) were treated at the Graha Bakti Hospital in Klungkung for minor injuries. Nine of the twelve were treated on an outpatient basis and released as outpatients.
Three other crew members with severe burns, over 80% of their bodies were warded at Bali’s main general hospital, RSUP Prof Ngoerah Denpasar. The crew members in grave condition and under treatment in Denpasar are:
- Muhamad Saiful (44), with burns over 48% of his body and additional injuries to his respiratory tract, was warded in the Burn Unit of the Hospital.
- Fadli (32), with burns over 4% of his body and additional injuries to his respiratory tract, was warded in the Burn Unit of the Hospital.
- Edwin Pratama (39), with burns over 39.5% of his body and additional injuries to his respiratory tract, was initially treated in the Emergency Ward of the Hospital.
Only two members of the entire crew, including the Captain, were reported as unscathed.
Responding to the distress call, two tug boats were dispatched to the anchored ship. Evacuation commenced at 11:00 am and was conducted from a safe distance of 300 meters from the shores at the village of Bugbug. Due to the remaining high temperatures in the engine room, rescue team members encountered difficulties evacuating the mortal remains of deceased crewmembers from the engine room. All bodies were finally removed from the ship at 12:30 pm.
Police from the Karangasem Precinct, Air and Water Police (Polisi Air), and representatives from the Police Forensic Lab have boarded the vessel anchored off Gili Tepekong, investigating to identify the cause of the explosion and fire.
The 90-meter tanker KM Elisabeth Satu was built in 2016 with a 2,938 gross tonnage.
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