Vessel Fire Strikes Jongor Port in Tegal Again, KM Usaha 3 Gutted

A vessel fire calamity has once again struck the Nusantara Fishing Port (PPN) Jongor in Tegal City, Central Java, on Thursday (4/6/2026). Flames gutted the KM Usaha 3, owned by Iswantoro, a resident of Jalan Bawal, Tegalsari Subdistrict, West Tegal District. The incident, which occurred at the largest fishing port in Tegal City, sparked panic among residents and workers near the dockside area. Thick plumes of black smoke were seen billowing high from the vessel’s hull whilst it was moored. To tame the blaze, over a dozen fire engines belonging to the Tegal City Government were deployed to the scene. Additionally, a water cannon from the Tegal City Police was dispatched to accelerate the extinguishing process and localise the fire to prevent it from spreading to other ships moored closely together at the dock. The Chairman of the Indonesian Fishermen’s Association (HNSI) for Tegal City, Eko Susanto, revealed that he received an initial report of the disaster via a short message in a WhatsApp group at around 11:00 WIB. ‘I received a report via a WhatsApp group around 11:00 regarding the vessel fire. Fire officers immediately moved swiftly to the scene to handle the situation,’ Eko stated. As this report was filed, HNSI was not yet able to ascertain the total material losses suffered by the vessel’s owner as a result of the incident. Separately, the Marine and Fisheries Resources Surveillance (PSDKP) unit for Tegal City provided an account of the chronology. PSDKP officer Vincen confirmed the burnt vessel was the KM Usaha 3. Vincen explained that the vessel had, in fact, just completed repairs at the dock three days prior. At the time of the incident, the vessel was moored as preparations were being made before returning to sea. ‘The provisional suspicion is that the fire was triggered by an electrical short circuit. However, the exact cause is still pending further investigation by the police,’ Vincen clarified. Joint officers were continuing cooling operations at the scene to ensure no remaining hotspots were left inside the vessel’s fish hold. Police lines have also been erected around the incident location to facilitate further investigation.