11 Missing as KM Prima Sentosa Burns Off Bengkulu

A cargo ship caught fire off Indonesia's Bengkulu coast on the evening of 16 October 2026, leaving 11 people missing and 13 rescued.

KM Prima Sentosa was sailing from Muara Jawa in East Kalimantan to Nagan Raya in Aceh when fire broke out in the engine room at around 7 pm local time. The ship was approximately 30 nautical miles from Pulau Baai Port when the blaze started. Of the 24 people aboard, 13 escaped on a life raft and were picked up by a passing cargo ship, Seroja 20. Eleven remain missing.

The ship's agent reported the distress at 8 pm. Basarnas (Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency) dispatched a team within 15 minutes, with support from the Indonesian Navy, maritime police, port operator Pelindo, and local fishermen.

The incident follows a difficult stretch for Indonesian seafarers. Four Indonesian sailors from MT Honour 25 returned home in early October after months held by Somali pirates, while authorities arrested three Virgo Karya Shipping executives over a separate fatal ferry sinking in the Java Sea.