Liveaboard Diving Yacht S/Y Indo Siren

A proud addition to our luxury liveaboard fleet

Diving Indonesia - Raja Ampat, Komodo & the Banda Sea

Liveaboard Diving Yacht S/Y Maldives Siren

Our flagship luxury liveaboard dive boat

Diving the Maldives year-round

S/Y Mandarin Siren

We are very sad to have to announce a very unfortunate incident on the S/Y Mandarin Siren.

During a recent diving trip, in the Raja Ampat region of Indonesia, a fire broke out below decks while the guests were on a morning dive. The origin of the fire is not yet fully confirmed but we believe that it was caused by an electrical fault of the tumble dryer in the laundry room and quickly spread to the engine room. The guests were not aboard at the time and therefore were never in any danger. Our crew did everything they could but in the end were unable to contain the blaze and were forced to abandon the vessel which was subsequently lost.

No one was hurt in the accident and for that we are incredibly grateful -- no matter how great the loss to us it could have been very much worse.

Our other Indonesian vessel, the S/Y Indo Siren, was very near at the time of the accident and steamed immediately to pick up the guests and crew from the tender. A speedboat was then dispatched to pick everyone up from the S/Y Indo Siren and return them as quickly as possible to Sorong where they were provided with fresh clothing, accommodation and assistance from our staff. The next day they were flown to Jakarta where fleet owner Frank and the team in Indonesia were there to meet them. All the guests were assisted in obtaining emergency travel documents and re-arranging travel and they subsequently flew home to be with their families over New Year.

We have endeavored to inform all of our guests who had made bookings on the S/Y Mandarin Siren, whether booked directly with us or through a booking agent. If you had a booking and have not yet been in contact please email or call us or your agent as soon as you are able.

For all of us at Worldwide Dive and Sail this is a shock and a great loss, but as said above it could have been very much worse. We are very thankful that none of the guests or the crew were injured or worse.

We greatly appreciate your concern and the condolences we have received over the past few days and would like to thank you for your continuing support. The Siren Fleet will still be offering diving liveaboard safaris throughout Indonesia aboard the S/Y Indo Siren.

Best wishes and safe diving from all at Worldwide Dive & Sail and the Siren Fleet.

Liveaboard Yacht Safety

All members of Worldwide Dive and Sail & Siren Fleet yacht crews undergo rigorous safety training at professionally run seamanship schools, and all hold a Basic Safety Training certificate. Their training includes firefighting, basic first aid and life support as well as emergency management procedures.

Throughout the year we run mandatory safety drills on board each yacht as outlined in our operations and ship safety manuals. These drills include Muster Station and man-overboard procedures in which each team member is assigned specific tasks to manage an emergency including opening safety hatches, manning life rafts, firefighting and roll call.

Although the fire on the Mandarin Siren was certainly regrettable, all guests were diving at the time and therefore removed from any danger. Two crew members were accompanying the guests and therefore also absent from the boat. The remaining crew used their training during the emergency situation and attempted to manage the blaze. Being unable to do so they were forced to abandon the vessel and she was subsequently lost. Several investigative dives on the wreck have unfortunately not conclusively proved the cause of the fire but the majority of current evidence points to an electrical fault on the tumble dryer in the laundry area.

Accordingly we have increased our safety measures to include the following provisions:

Tumble dryers are not to be left unattended whilst in use.

Tumble dryer filters are to be cleaned after each cruise (manufacturer’s recommendation is every 6 months).

Mandatory safety drills will be noted in the Captain’s log and spot inspections will be made by our operations team.

We would like to assure our all our guests that their safety is always paramount and we take the utmost care in ensuring safety training and equipment standards are up to date.