At least ten people were killed and 21 others injured when an oil tanker caught fire early Wednesday while undergoing repairs at a shipyard in Indonesia’s Riau Islands province.
The blaze broke out around 04.00 hrs local time on Wednesday aboard the Federal II, a 1990-built aframax tanker serving as a floating storage and offloading (FSO) unit, at the ASL Shipyard in Sekupang, Batam, about 20km from Singapore by sea.
Police said all the victims were part of the shipyard’s repair crew. The injured have been taken to several hospitals across Batam.
Unconfirmed reports suggested that the fire may have been triggered by an explosion caused by gas build-up inside one of the vessel’s tanks, possibly ignited by welding equipment. However, officials said the exact cause remains under investigation.
Video footage shared on social media showed thick black smoke rising from the ship’s bow. The fire was brought under control later in the day, with no damage reported to nearby vessels or port infrastructure.
Shipping records list the Indonesia-flagged vessel as owned by PT Eastern Jason and managed by Monaco-based International Andromeda Shipping. The same ship suffered a fire at the same yard in late June, which killed four workers and injured nine others. Authorities are now examining whether safety lapses contributed to Wednesday’s incident.
