A fire at a Batam shipyard operated by ASL Marine’s Indonesian subsidiary claimed 13 lives and left 18 others injured, the Singapore-listed shipbuilder confirmed on 26 October.
The blaze occurred at around 4:20 a.m. on 15 October (Indonesian time) while a tanker was undergoing floating repair works alongside one of the jetties at ASL Shipyard Indonesia’s facility. Following the incident, all work on the tanker was suspended.
In its official statement, ASL Marine said it is cooperating with government authorities and the tanker’s owner to assist with the ongoing investigation into the cause of the fire. The company expressed its condolences to the victims’ families and confirmed that support and assistance are being provided to those affected.
“The safety and well-being of personnel at our work sites remain our highest priority,” ASL Marine said, adding that it has initiated a full review of its safety management procedures to strengthen preventive measures.
This marks the second fatal fire at the same Batam shipyard this year. On 24 June, another blaze broke out on board a floating storage and offloading vessel undergoing repairs near a jetty at the facility. That earlier incident left four workers dead and five others injured, according to the company’s statement released on 25 June.
ASL Marine noted that findings from the June investigation have yet to be released.
