Fire guts vessel in Semarang

SEMARANG: A wooden cargo vessel caught fire at around 8:30 a.m. while docked at Tanjung Emas Port in Semarang, Central Java, on Tuesday. No casualties or injuries were reported however.

The fire on the KLM Cahaya Sulastri caused hundreds of millions of rupiah in damage.

The vessel's captain, Samsul, said the problem started after an electric lamp started a fire in the cabin of a crew member, which then quickly spread.

Mansur, the vessel's owner, who hails from South Sulawesi, was shocked by the accident.

He said the vessel was carrying 100 LPG containers and five motorcycles, various beverages and foodstuffs, and thousands of roofing sheets. It was scheduled to leave for Kalimantan on Thursday night, he added.

Five fire trucks were struggling to extinguish the blaze. -- JP