The NTSC Investigating The Burning Of The Ship At The Indah Harbor, Kiat Merak

The Passenger Motorboat (KMP) Mutiara Berkah I which caught fire at Indah Kiat Harbor, Merak, Cilegon City, Banten, Wednesday (6/9/2023) (ANTARA/Desi Purnama Sari)

CILEGON - The National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) conducted an investigation to collect initial data on the cause of the burning of the Mutiara Berkah 1 Passenger Motor Ship (KMP) at Indah Kiat Port, Merak, Cilegon, Banten, Wednesday (6/9).

KNKT Shipping Investigator Bambang Safari Alwi said on the first day of his investigation his party interviewed with a number of crew members and passengers who were victims of the fire.

"We also have an agenda for summoning port management and shipping companies," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, September 7.

According to him, to determine the cause of the fire, his party will also conduct a ship inspection. It's just that for now it cannot be done because it is still under treatment.

"Currently it is still in the cooling process, so we cannot enter. That's why we are currently focusing on interviews with the crew and passengers who witnessed the incident," he said.

"So the KNKT is purely looking for information about the problems that caused the ship to catch fire. We know the ship hasn't sailed yet," he asserted.

When asked how long the investigation process will take until the results come out, Bambang Safari Alwi said it would take a long time. For the fastest results, about the next three months and a maximum of one year.

The KMP Mutiara Berkah 1 fire while on fire carried 135 trucks with 159 passengers and the beginning of the ship. Five of them were even rushed to the hospital due to respiratory problems.

The rescue of the victim was also quite heroic because it used a crane. The passengers must take turns to be able to get down to the pier of Indah Kiat Port.