Navy vessel catches fire in Banyuwangi

A fire raged through the Indonesian Navy's KRI Klewang-625 at the naval port in Banyuwangi, East Java on Friday at 3:15 p.m. No casualties have been reported but the Rp 114 billion (US$11.91 million) ship was severely damaged.

Indonesian Eastern Fleet (Armatim) spokesman Lt. Col. Marine Yayan Sugiana told The Jakarta Post that the vessel was undergoing maintenance by its builder, PT Lundin Industry. “The vessel had yet to be officially handed over to the Navy. It was still undergoing maintenance checks by PT Lundin Industry,” he said.

The navy, however, said it would investigate the blaze, which lasted for two hours before fire fighters managed to extinguish it. “We will deploy a team to investigate the cause of the fire. We will use the report to evaluate the case,” he said.

PT Lundin Industry's director, Lisa Lundin, said the company would deliver an official statement relating to the incident on Monday.

The making of the carbon-fiber composite vessel was initiated in 2007, when PT Lundin Industry undertook extensive research into building a fast, modern ship capable of evading radar. In 2009, PT Lundin started the construction of the 63-meter-long vessel.

Around 30 Armatim members were trained to operate the vessel in September this year. (lfr)