Panic at Merak Port: Ferry Engine Room Fire Forces Evacuation, Twelve Treated for Smoke Inhalation

Merak, Indonesia— Twelve passengers were treated for smoke inhalation after a ferry’s engine room caught fire and filled the vessel with thick smoke near Merak Port on October 21, 2025.

The ferry was making the busy Java-Sumatra crossing with 210 passengers and 35 vehicles on board. About 15 minutes after departure, alarms sounded below deck. Smoke pushed up through ventilation shafts and into the passenger cabin. People coughed. Children cried. The lights flickered.

The captain cut power to the main engine and ordered an emergency turn back toward Merak. Crew members tried to seal the engine compartment and released the fixed CO2 suppression system. On deck, passengers were told to put on life jackets and move to the starboard side away from the smoke.

Fishermen and two tugboats were first on scene. They circled the ferry and helped keep other vessels clear. The ferry limped back on its auxiliary engine, trailing gray smoke. At the pier, fire teams waited with hoses. The fire below was mostly out by docking, but smoke still hung inside.

Paramedics pulled 12 people off on stretchers, all with breathing difficulty and nausea. Most were elderly passengers and women who had been on the lower deck. They were given oxygen at the port clinic and transferred to Cilegon General Hospital for observation. Doctors said none were critical.

“We thought we would have to jump. The smoke was so thick we could not see the doors,” said Siti Rahmawati, a passenger traveling with her two children. “Crew shouted to stay low. It was very scary.”

The Merak-Bakauheni route is one of Indonesia’s busiest, with aging ferries under heavy pressure. The vessel, built in 1998, had passed its annual survey in August, according to the harbor master. Investigators are now checking fuel lines and the exhaust lagging, common sources of ferry engine fires.

The Indonesian Maritime Authority said the ship’s safety certificates were valid and life-saving equipment was deployed correctly. A spokesman added, “The quick return to port prevented a worse outcome. We will audit the engine maintenance records.”

Traffic at Merak was delayed for three hours while the ferry was towed to a repair berth. The port is now operating normally. The ship remains detained pending a full technical inspection.