JAKARTA: Three crew members on a fuel vessel were reportedly killed today after a fire broke out on board in the west coastal waters of Lombok island, Indonesia.
The accident occurred at 2.50pm local time, and rescuers had helped save 14 of the 17-person crew, according to the Mataram disaster management agency.
The vessel caught fire while waiting in line to unload fuel at Pertamina’s Ampenan depot in the city, its spokesperson Dady Sukmawan said.
He was quoted by online media as saying that the cause of the fire remains unknown.
According to PT Pertamina Patra Niaga for East Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara Barat, PT Pertamina International Shipping had hired the vessel, MT Christine, to transport six million litres of fuel to the regions.
Pertamina Patra Niaga would ensure the survivors received the appropriate medical attention and the incident would not disrupt fuel supply, its spokesperson, Taufik Kurniawan said.
Pertamina Patra Niaga is a subsidiary of the state-owned integrated energy company Pertamina. – BERNAMA