Five vessels on fire

Five vessels on fire

JAKARTA (JP): A fire, believed to have started in the engine room of a cargo vessel docked at the Sunda Kelapa quay in North Jakarta, spread to four other ships.

There were no fatalities but the fire caused hundreds of millions of rupiahs in losses and damages as all the cargo ships were almost completely destructed.

According to City Police spokesman Lt. Col. Bambang Haryoko, the names of the five ships are Pelita Samudera, Tunas Harapan, Kumala Tri, Kumala Mas and Berkat Jasa VI.

The fire started at about 8 p.m. Friday in the engine room of Pelita Samudera, which was loaded with salt fish from Bagan Siapi-api in Riau, Bambang said.

The other ships were loaded with plywood, wood products and empty gas tanks.

The cause of the fire, which lasted until Saturday morning, is still being investigated, the spokesman said.

At least seven witnesses, including the ship's crew, have been questioned. (bsr)