Burning KMP Putri Yasmin Confirmed Seaworthy; 173 Evacuated to Shore
The KMP Putri Yasmin, which caught fire in the Lombok Strait on Wednesday morning (12/8/2026), has been confirmed as seaworthy. This was stated directly by the Acting Head of the Padangbai Harbourmaster and Port Authority (KSOP), Heri Wijayanto.
“We have confirmed that the condition of the vessel (KMP Putri Yasmin) before departure was seaworthy,” said Wijayanto on Wednesday.
Wijayanto said his office regularly inspects vessels operating on the Padangbai–Lembar route and vice versa. Based on the inspection results, KMP Putri Yasmin was declared seaworthy and no issues were found before departure.
However, the cause of the fire on KMP Putri Yasmin remains unknown. The main focus of officers at present is evacuating all passengers from the vessel.
“The cause will certainly be investigated later, but for now we are focusing on evacuation first,” said Wijayanto.
After all passengers have been evacuated, officers will also evacuate the burning vessel. This step is considered necessary to prevent the ship from sinking.
According to Wijayanto, if the ship were to sink, the evacuation process would become more difficult. Such a condition could also potentially disrupt the marine ecosystem.
Meanwhile, the fire incident involving KMP Putri Yasmin has not disrupted crossing activities on the Padangbai–Lembar route. Ferry services continue to operate normally.
173 People Successfully Evacuated to Shore
The evacuation process for KMP Putri Yasmin passengers was still ongoing as of Wednesday at 5.50 pm local time. A total of 173 people have been successfully evacuated to shore.
Of that number, 172 people were declared safe. One person died, a woman with the initials IDS (19) from Mataram City.
The Head of the Mataram Search and Rescue Office, Muhamad Hariyadi, said the joint SAR team remains on standby at the location. Officers are focused on ensuring that all affected passengers and crew members can be evacuated and receive medical treatment.
“Our main focus at present is ensuring the safety of all passengers and crew members,” said Hariyadi in an official statement.
Hariyadi said sweeping around the location where KMP Putri Yasmin caught fire is still being carried out. This is to anticipate any passengers or crew members who have not yet been found.
“The joint SAR team is continuing to sweep around the incident location to anticipate any other victims who may not yet have been evacuated,” he said.
He added that the data on the number of evacuated passengers may still change. The SAR team will update the data periodically according to developments in the search and evacuation efforts on the ground.
Meanwhile, information received by detikBali indicates that one evacuation vessel is still carrying passengers towards Lembar Port.
Dozens of passengers’ family members are also still crowding Lembar Port. They are waiting for the arrival of passengers while checking on the condition of their family members who were aboard KMP Putri Yasmin.
NTB Governor: A Lesson for Improvement
The Governor of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, has spoken out about the KMP Putri Yasmin incident. According to him, this incident can serve as a valuable lesson for everyone to make improvements in the future.
“Earlier during the meeting we received a report. God willing, we will try to handle it. The Head of the Transportation Agency has already gone to the location. The Minister of Transportation is also reportedly going to arrive there in the near future. What is clear is that this is a matter of special attention,” said Iqbal in Mataram on Wednesday (12/8/2026).
Iqbal said the NTB government will coordinate with PT ASDP Lembar. This is because the Lembar Port–Padangbai Port crossing is managed by that state-owned enterprise subsidiary.
“This coordination will be to ensure that the facilities are good,” Iqbal stressed.
Nevertheless, Iqbal said the fire incident involving KMP Putri Yasmin in the waters of the Lombok Strait must serve as a shared lesson for everyone to make improvements in the future.
“The point is that whatever happens today becomes a lesson for all of us for shared improvement in the future,” he said.