Indonesia’s transport safety investigator has renewed its call for stronger cargo controls on passenger Ro-Ro ferries after reviewing more than two decades of accidents. The findings put a familiar operational document at the centre of the safety debate: the manifest. For ferry operators, freight forwarders, shippers and port authorities, accurate cargo and passenger declarations are not merely administrative formalities. They are part of the vessel’s fire-prevention, emergency-response and legal compliance system.
On 9 September 2026, Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee, KNKT, published lessons from investigations into passenger Ro-Ro accidents. Its data records 46 Ro-Ro vessel accidents between 2003 and August 2026. In the fire cases reviewed, ignition frequently originated from trucks and vehicles carried on deck.
Nineteen Ro-Ro fires since 2014
KNKT identified 19 Ro-Ro fire incidents between 2014 and 2026. The investigator said fire sources were dominated by cargo inside truck bodies as well as electrical problems involving vehicles and ships. The pattern is significant because vehicle decks combine enclosed or semi-enclosed spaces, combustible cargo, electrical systems and limited physical access once vessels are loaded.
For operators, this means fire safety cannot begin only after a vehicle crosses the ramp. Risk controls need to start with information about what is being loaded, whether declarations are accurate and whether the cargo can be safely carried in the configuration presented at the terminal.
Undeclared dangerous goods remain a core problem
KNKT highlighted weaknesses in the carriage of dangerous and hazardous materials. According to the investigator, dangerous cargo is sometimes not declared by shippers, cargo manifests may lack sufficient detail, and physical checks after packing can be absent. That creates a fundamental information gap for the ship.
A vessel’s crew cannot apply appropriate segregation, stowage or emergency planning if the actual cargo is materially different from what appears in the documentation. The problem also affects terminal operators and emergency responders, who may need accurate cargo information immediately after a fire begins.
Overloaded and over-dimension vehicles increase the hazard
The KNKT review also points to overloaded, over-stacked and over-dimension trucks. Cargo may exceed permitted vehicle weights and can be covered by multiple layers of tarpaulin. KNKT warned that high cargo stacks can obstruct the effective reach of automatic sprinkler systems during a fire.
This creates a direct connection between landside freight practices and shipboard safety. A truck that complies poorly with road or cargo rules does not cease to be a risk when it enters a ferry terminal. Its dimensions, cargo, packaging and declaration become part of the vessel’s overall safety profile.
Why manifest accuracy has legal significance
KNKT emphasised that the manifest is the primary reference used by search-and-rescue authorities and harbourmasters during an emergency to determine who was on board and to reconcile survivors, missing persons and fatalities. It also noted that valid manifest information is relevant before the harbourmaster issues sailing approval under Indonesia’s Shipping Law framework.
The legal significance extends beyond departure clearance. Passenger and cargo records can become evidence in casualty investigations, insurance claims and compensation processes. Inaccurate records can therefore complicate not only emergency response but also the allocation and proof of legal rights after an accident.
The compliance chain extends beyond the shipowner
Ro-Ro safety depends on information supplied by multiple parties. Shippers declare cargo. Freight forwarders and logistics companies process it. Terminal personnel control access. Operators plan loading and stowage. Harbourmasters rely on documentation before approving departure. Weakness at any stage can transfer risk to the vessel.
Contractual arrangements should therefore make cargo-declaration obligations clear and provide consequences for inaccurate or incomplete information. Operators should also consider whether contractual rights allow inspection, rejection or additional controls where cargo characteristics cannot be verified.
KNKT’s proposed direction
Among its recommendations, KNKT called for a review of dangerous-goods supervision, consideration of a Regulated Agent-style system in port cargo flows, stronger oversight of freight-forwarding companies, improved ticketing systems, fire-response training for densely loaded vehicle decks and periodic fire patrols during voyages.
The investigator also encouraged physical verification of sailing declarations by harbourmasters before departure. If implemented more broadly, that approach would shift part of the compliance model away from reliance on documents alone and toward verification of whether the physical load matches what has been declared.
What operators should review now
Passenger Ro-Ro operators should review manifest procedures, dangerous-goods declarations, vehicle acceptance criteria and the interface between terminal checks and shipboard loading. Emergency plans should account for fires originating inside truck cargo spaces and for situations where high or tightly packed loads obstruct fixed firefighting equipment.
Freight forwarders and shippers should likewise treat accurate declarations as a safety obligation rather than a paperwork exercise. Misdeclared cargo can expose the entire transport chain to casualty risk and can create significant legal and insurance consequences after an incident.
A broader Indonesian maritime-safety issue
The KNKT data show that Ro-Ro fire risk is persistent rather than exceptional. The policy question is therefore how to make cargo transparency, physical verification and fire prevention routine across a large ferry network.
For industry participants, the immediate lesson is already clear: a manifest is only useful when it accurately describes what is actually on board. Closing that gap is likely to remain a central element of Indonesia’s effort to reduce repeat Ro-Ro casualties.
Source
- Komite Nasional Keselamatan Transportasi (KNKT), “KNKT Tekankan Akurasi Manifes dan Pengawasan Muatan untuk Cegah Kecelakaan Kapal Ro-Ro,” 9 September 2026.
Maritime Legal Business provides general maritime legal and industry information. This article is not legal advice.