Fire Aboard Oil Product Tanker Near Gili Tepekong Island

In the early hours of Wednesday, August 7, the Indonesian Ministry of Transport reported a fire aboard an oil product tanker, the Elisabet Satu. The incident took place approximately one mile west of Gili Tepekong Island, near the Manggis Special Terminal in Indonesia.

At 03:00 AM Central Indonesian Time, the tanker alerted Marine Manggis about the fire and requested immediate assistance. In response, a tugboat, TB Aurora, was dispatched to aid the distressed vessel. Around 04:00 AM, another boat, TB Transko Dara, arrived to assist in extinguishing the blaze at the stern of the tanker.

By 04:30 AM, the fire was successfully extinguished, and the tanker was temporarily anchored in the waters off Gili Tepekong.

Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the fire.

The tanker had 20 crew members onboard at the time of the incident. Fifteen crew members were evacuated and safely transported to shore. Unfortunately, five crew members believed to be trapped in the engine room could not be evacuated initially. 

Local media reports suggest that these crew members perished in the fire, although government authorities have not officially confirmed these claims.

Elisabet Satu, a tanker built in 2016 and sailing under the Indonesian flag, was partially laden with Bio Solar (158,467.1 liters), Pertamax (1,384,565 liters), and Pertalite (977,298 liters). The vessel was scheduled to arrive in Badas, Indonesia, on August 8.