100 stranded off Batam

SINGAPORE: More than 100 passengers traveling on a ferry from the Indonesian island of Batam to Singapore were stranded for five hours, officials said on Sunday.

The ferry developed engine problems in Indonesian waters during one of its routine 45-minute trips, said Richard Ho, a supervisor with the company operating the ferry.

It had left the island at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday bound for Singapore.

Ho, with Dino Shipping, said the company dispatched a replacement ferry to eventually take the passengers to Singapore. --dpa