According to the Indonesian media, on the afternoon of June 3, 2023, a large fire occurred on board the medium landing ship of the Indonesian Navy Teluk Hading (tail number "538", the former ship of the GDR Cottbus fleet of Project 108, acquired in 1994). The fire occurred 8 miles from the port of Bira on Sulayar Island, South Sulawesi Province, while the ship was traveling on a transport flight from Jakarta to West Papua.
Burning medium amphibious assault ship of the Indonesian Navy Teluk Hading (tail number "538", former GDR Navy ship Cottbus Project 108), 06/03/2023 (c) social networks
The fire reportedly started around noon on June 3 in the diesel generators room and quickly engulfed the entire superstructure of the ship. At about 14.15 local time, the ship lost speed and sent a distress signal. The fire was clearly visible from the shore in the Bira area. All 119 people on board (62 crew members and 57 transported Indonesian army servicemen) were safely and quickly evacuated on the afternoon of June 3 to the approaching civilian tugboat Bahtera Zalfa, in addition, Golden Ace and Green Wave tugs took part in the rescue operations.
The Indonesian Navy sent the Sultan Iskandar Muda corvette (tail number "367"), Sampari missile boats ("628"), Tombak ("629"), Terapang ("648") and the Escolar large patrol boat ("871") to assist the burning ship.
After partial burnout of the Teluk Hading, the Indonesian Navy was able to take it in tow and bring it to Bira on the evening of June 4, where it was delivered to the pier. It is reported that on the evening of June 5, the ship was still smoking. An official investigation has been launched.
Teluk Hading is a former GDR Cottbus navy ship built in 1978 and one of 12 medium amphibious assault ships of Project 108 (NATO designation Frosch I) built by the Peene-Werft shipyard in Wolgast. In 1993, after the unification of Germany, these 12 ships, together with two Project 109 (Frosch II) supply ships built on the same hull, were acquired by Indonesia. Of these 12 units, by now the Indonesian Navy has already lost two ships in accidents and incidents - Teluk Peleng (tail number "535") ran into a concrete pier in November 2013, and Teluk Jakarta (tail number "541") sank on July 14, 2020 off Kangean Island as a result of an accident in a storm. In addition, the Teluk Berau KFOR (tail number "534") was decommissioned in 2012 and then sunk as a target by one of the supersonic anti-ship missiles "Yakhont" acquired by Indonesia in Russia.
Various accidents remain a scourge of the Indonesian Navy - in particular, in September 2018, the Rencong missile boat (tail number "622", built in 1979) burned down in a fire and sank in the sea near Sorong, West Papua; in December 2017, the Sibarau patrol boat sank in a storm in the Strait of Malacca after engine failure (tail number "847"); in May 2016, having run into the hull of a sunken vessel, the Pati Unus corvette (tail number "384", the former small anti-submarine ship of the GDR fleet of project 133.1) crashed and sank off Sumatra; in September 2012, it burned down in Banyuwangi (East Java) just before going to tests The Klewang all-composite missile trimaran (tail number "625") of the X3K project completed there for the Indonesian Navy; several boats of the Indonesian Navy have been lost in recent years as a result of hurricanes.
Footage of the fire and rescue of people from the burning medium landing ship of the Indonesian Navy Teluk Hading (tail number "538", former GDR Navy ship Cottbus Project 108), 03.06.2023 (c) Indonesian Navy
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Towed to the port of Bira on Sulayar Island, South Sulawesi province, the medium landing ship of the Indonesian Navy Teluk Hading (tail number "538", the former ship of the GDR Cottbus fleet of Project 108) burned out as a result of a fire, 03.06.2023 (c) social networks
