KMP Batumandi Fire Near Merak: All Passengers and Crew Evacuated as Probe Continues

Cilegon, The Banten Post – All passengers and crew aboard the KMP Batumandi were evacuated after the ferry caught fire while approaching Merak Port, with injured passengers taken for medical treatment and the cause still under investigation.

How were passengers and crew evacuated?

The fire was reported on Oct. 20 at about 4:15 p.m. local time, when Batumandi was maneuvering toward Pier VI near Merak Besar Island. The vessel had departed Bakauheni Port in Lampung for Merak. Police said it was about 700 meters from the pier when the incident was reported.

The Banten Port Authority said the passengers and crew were transferred to the KMP Royce 1. Yogie Nugraha, head of the authority, said in a written statement that Merak Vessel Traffic Service received Royce 1’s report at 4:56 p.m. that everyone aboard Batumandi had been evacuated safely.

Police said the official manifest listed 420 passengers and 89 vehicles. Of the passengers, 393 were traveling in vehicles and 27 were pedestrians. Those who escaped were sheltered at Pier VI, while injured passengers were taken to Pulomerak Community Health Center and Krakatau Medika Hospital.

“For passengers who survived, they are currently being accommodated at Pier VI Merak Port,” said Banten Police public information chief Kombes Pol. Maruli Ahiles Hutapea in a written statement published by the police news service. He said ASDP prepared buses to take passengers, particularly those bound for the Greater Jakarta area, to their destinations.

What is known about the fire?

ASDP President Director Heru Widodo said sparks were detected at about 4:15 p.m. on the stern’s upper deck, which carried small vehicles. He said the cause remained under further investigation and that ASDP would follow the authorities’ examination process and report developments based on verified field findings.

By Oct. 22, Banten police said investigators had questioned 18 witnesses, including passengers, a bus driver, the chief engineer and crew members. A crime-scene examination had not yet begun because the vessel’s hull and interior remained too hot for investigators to enter safely. Police also coordinated with Merak’s Vessel Traffic Service and port authority to protect shipping lanes.

Police later reported that the ferry had overturned in Merak waters after the fire. ASDP said ferry services continued with adjustments through the Express 2 Pier and urged users to follow instructions from port personnel. The company directed passengers seeking verified operational information to its 191 contact center.

The incident has drawn renewed online attention because it combined a dramatic ferry fire on one of Indonesia’s busiest crossings with an ongoing investigation and later reports of the vessel overturning. Google Trends’ public Explore page did not provide a verifiable numeric index for the query during reporting, so no search-volume figure is stated here. Readers should verify new casualty, salvage and sailing updates with Basarnas, Banten police, the port authority or ASDP rather than relying on reposted videos and social-media claims.