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Ferry Fire Kills At Least Three off Sulawesi

Barcelona V
Via Indonesian social media

Published Jul 20, 2025 2:10 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

On Sunday, a major fire broke out aboard a ferry off the coast of Sulawesi, forcing the passengers and crew to abandon ship into the water. 

At about 1200-1300 hours, a blaze broke out in the upper decks of the ferry Barcelona V as it transited off the coast of Talisei Island, en route to Manado City on the far northeastern tip of Sulawesi. The passengers evacuated onto the weather decks as the fire spread through the interior, then - as the flames approached - abandoned ship over the side. Video from the scene shows the vessel's liferafts still in their cradles and hundreds of people in the water. 

The Indonesian Navy, Maritime Security Agency (Baklama), good Samaritan vessels and local SAR assets responded to the scene. 280 passengers were rescued by first responders, the commander of a nearby naval station told Antara. Three of those individuals died during the abandon-ship process. One of the deceased was a pregnant woman, according to the Manado Search and Rescue office. 

The fire burned through the vessel's topsides and was extinguished later that day. Rescuers are searching the wreckage of the ship to see if there are any remains of further personnel.

 

 

 

Ferry casualties are not uncommon in Indonesia, where the population relies heavily on passenger vessels for transportation among the archipelagic nation's countless islands. A large domestic fleet and less stringent safety standards combine to create elevated numbers of incidents. Earlier this month, a local ferry went down off Bali in rough weather, claiming 16 lives.