Fire ignites on ferry off Indonesia's Riau Islands; all on board rescued

Authorities in Indonesia have confirmed that a fire ignited on board a commercial vessel in the Singapore Strait just off the Riau Islands on Wednesday, October 2.

The Ro-Pax ferry Tandemand was anchored just off Batam Island when the blaze ignited at around 15:00 local time on Wednesday. The flames quickly spread to other areas of the vessel and ended up engulfing the wheelhouse.

The fire was extinguished within four hours and all 17 of the ferry's crew were safely rescued by a responding Indonesian Sea and Coast Guard Unit patrol vessel. No serious injuries have been reported.

Other agencies that participated in the emergency response effort include local police units, the Indonesian Navy, and the country's Basarnas search and rescue agency.

An investigation has been launched to identify the events that led to the incident, though the ferry's crew suspect that the fire was caused by an electrical short on the bridge.

The incident occurred while the vessel had no embarked passengers or vehicle cargo.