Salt-carrying ship bound for Makassar catches fire in Bima Bay, four crew members injured

A vessel carrying salt destined for Makassar, South Sulawesi, caught fire in Bima Bay, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), on Tuesday, 10 March 2026. The incident resulted in four crew members being injured.

“The fire occurred earlier,” said the Bima police chief through the Head of Marine Police, First Inspector Hari Purnomo.

Purnomo reported that the vessel caught fire in the southern section of Bima Bay, specifically in the waters off Sondosia Village, Bolo District, Bima Regency. According to information gathered, the burning vessel was carrying 300 sacks of salt bound for Makassar.

“The vessel bound for Makassar carrying salt caught fire whilst anchored in Sondosia waters due to poor weather conditions,” he said.

He stated that the fire began when one of the crew members was attempting to heat water for coffee. Upon igniting the gas stove, a 3-kilogramme cylinder suddenly exploded, immediately engulfing the entire ship in flames.

“The flames spread rapidly across the vessel because the ship was almost 90 per cent constructed from wood,” Purnomo explained.

The ship fire incident resulted in four crew members sustaining burn injuries. They were identified as S (27), M (26), U (20), and F (40), all residents of Sondosia Village.

“There were no fatalities in this incident. Only four crew members were injured and are currently receiving treatment at Sondosia Regional Hospital,” said Purnomo.

Purnomo added that based on a preliminary investigation by the forensics unit of Bima Police Criminal Investigation Division, the initial assumption is that the ship fire was caused by a leaking gas hose (regulator).

“As for material losses, the estimated figure has reached hundreds of millions of rupiah,” he concluded.