Nearly 100 Rescued after Batam Ferry Hits Trouble
Almost 100 people were rescued when a ferry sailing toward Singapore from the Indonesian island of Batam hit a floating object and reportedly started to sink, maritime officials said.
Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said it received a report last night that Indonesia-registered ferry 'Sea Prince' had hit a floating object after leaving Batam, one of the popular resort islands about 40 minute ride from Singapore.
It said at the time of the incident, the ferry was in Indonesian waters and heading towards Singapore with 90 passengers and seven crew members.
It is understood that other passengers included British, South Korean and Portuguese nationals. No injuries were reported.
“The ferry operator, Batamfast, immediately activated two ferries to transfer all the passengers to the Nongsapura ferry terminal. All the passengers are accounted for and the ferry is in a stable condition,” MPA said.
The operator deployed three life rafts on the ferry and three bumboats from local villagers to help passengers back to the Batam ferry terminal, sources said.
The monsoon season may have caused the floating object to have gone in the ferry's way, said the sources.
