Police Investigate the Cause of the AAA Express Speedboat Fire in Bulungan Waters

TANJUNG SELOR - The police are still investigating the cause of the fire that burned the Sekatak AAA Express speedboat in the waters of SP 5, Salimbatu Village, Tanjung Palas District, Bulungan Regency, North Kalimantan (Kaltara).

Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of Bulungan Police, AKP Rio Adi Pratama, said the investigation was carried out to determine the exact cause of the fire that occurred when the speedboat sailed from Tanjung Selor to Tarakan.

"All passengers and crew were successfully evacuated safely. There were no casualties in this incident. Currently we are still investigating to determine the cause of the fire," said AKP Haji Rio Adi Pratama when confirmed.

AKP Rio explained that based on the results of the initial investigation, the speedboat departed from Kayan II Port, Tanjung Selor, at around 10.20 Wita to the SDF Tengkayu I Port, Tarakan, carrying 26 people, consisting of 23 adult passengers, two children and one toddler.

"At around 11.15 Wita, while passing through the Salimbatu waters, one of the crew members (ABK) found that two television units and four air conditioners (AC) in the cabin suddenly did not work. Inspection of the electrical installation did not find any interference," said Rio.

"The ABK then inspected the generator on board the ship and found that the fire had started. The captain then ordered three ABK to put out the fire using four units of light fire extinguishers (APAR). However, the flames continued to grow so that the extinguishing efforts were unsuccessful," he continued.

The captain then made the decision to set aside the speedboat and prioritize the evacuation of all passengers and crew. All passengers were rescued, while some of the victims were evacuated to Tarakan using the Limex Manora speedboat.

"The provisional suspicion is that the starting point of the fire came from a 8,000 watt solar-powered silent generator, which then spread to a 7,500 watt gasoline-powered generator. However, this suspicion will still be confirmed through further investigation," he said.

AKP Rio Adi Pratama added that investigators were still collecting information from the captain, ABK, and a number of other witnesses to uncover the exact cause of the incident.

"The Sekatak AAA Express speedboat is known to be a passenger ship with four 250 PK engines with a carrying capacity of up to 76 passengers. As of Thursday afternoon, the situation at the scene was reported to be safe and under control," he concluded.