Is it safe to travel from Singapore to Batam by ferry?

I have already read the general question here about ferry safety in Indonesia. However since the trip is supposedly only 20 miles, I am trying to find if it would be safe for a 20 member group to use this as a reliable means of transport both up and down from Singapore.

The primary reason to ask this question is that someone has already planned this trip and they did not seem to factor in the safety part at all and I need to either say yes to participate, no to participate or altogether shoot down the idea if it would be too unsafe for anyone. Reading this page on travelfish adds to the confusion.

Anyone have experience of this route? Just so that I add the detail (in which spirit answers have been made) to ensure that this question isnt too broad or opinion based, I was only worried about accidents and personal life safety being a cause of concern.

Best Answer

Background: I'm reading "The Lunatic Express" at present, which tries to open travellers' eyes to the fact that these 'terrifying' roads, buses and ferries are part of thousands of peoples' daily commutes. Yes, they're probably more dangerous than your car ride this morning at home, but people take them every day without concern.

In the book, Carl Hoffman takes the most dangerous ferries, flights and more that he can find. At the end, he asks an actuary to calculate the risk of his trip. The actuary calculates that if he did the whole trip 100 times (ie travelled non-stop on these dangerous transportation methods for 44 years) there'd be a 95% chance of him still being alive(!).

So one trip from Singapore (a very modern and safe city) on a ferry is likely to be pretty safe - it's more the thought of danger that is upsetting. Indeed, if it helps, the Batamfast ferry states:

"All ferries are certified for the ISM (International Safety Management) Code in 1998 as directed by the IMO (International Maritime Organisation). "

Not sure which one you're looking to take, but odds are you're probably going to be fine.