At around 5 a.m. on December 29, a fire broke out aboard the container ship “Verizon” docked at the Pelabuhan Perian Container Terminal in Tanjung Perak Port, Surabaya, Indonesia. Witnesses reported thick smoke billowing near the vessel's superstructure. Local authorities swiftly deployed 16 fire trucks, five rescue teams, and four tugboats to the scene. Fire officials stated the blaze spread downward from the upper deck, engulfing approximately 20 square meters of the ship's interior with a depth of 6 to 7 meters. After nearly four hours of intensive firefighting efforts, the situation was largely brought under control.

All 22 crew members were safely evacuated with no injuries. The Indonesian-flagged vessel, built in 1995, measures 145.68 meters in length with a deadweight tonnage of 15,400 tons. Since 2015, it has primarily operated on inter-island feeder routes within Indonesia. At the time of the incident, the vessel was carrying 9 tons of fuel, including 2 tons of heavy oil. The operator preliminarily determined the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit in the engine room, though the exact cause remains pending official investigation.

No oil spill reports have been received so far, and the port is expected to resume full operations. Safety management issues involving such aging feeder vessels warrant ongoing industry attention—after all, even the smallest oversight can lead to major disasters at sea.