KM Usaha 3 Catches Fire at Jongor Port Tegal, Allegedly Due to Electrical Short Circuit

A vessel fire has struck again at the Nusantara Fisheries Port (PPN) Jongor in Tegal City, Central Java, on Thursday (4/6). This time, the incident affected KM Usaha 3, owned by Iswantoro, a resident of Jalan Bawal, Tegalsari Subdistrict, West Tegal District, Tegal City. The fire at the city’s largest fishing port drew the attention of residents and workers in the vicinity. More than a dozen fire engines from the Tegal City Government and a water cannon from the Tegal City Police were deployed to tame the flames. The Chairman of the Tegal City branch of the Indonesian Fishermen’s Association (HNSI), Eko Susanto, admitted he first received information about the incident via a WhatsApp group. ‘I received a report through the WhatsApp group around 11:00 WIB regarding the vessel fire,’ said Eko. Tegal City fire officers immediately headed to the location to extinguish the blaze while preventing it from spreading to other vessels in the dock area. Eko stated that his organisation did not yet know the triggering factors or the extent of losses resulting from the incident. Separately, Marine and Fisheries Resources Surveillance (PSDKP) officer for Tegal City, Vincen, explained that the vessel that caught fire was named KM Usaha 3 and belonged to Iswantoro. According to Vincen, three days prior, the vessel had just come out of dry dock for repairs and was moored in preparation for going to sea. Unfortunately, an electrical short circuit is suspected to have sparked the fire. ‘The provisional suspicion is that the fire was triggered by an electrical short circuit, but the exact cause is still awaiting further investigation,’ said Vincen. Previously, a vessel fire also occurred on Monday, 14 August 2023. At least 63 vessels were completely gutted in that blaze.