September 15, 2026 | 07:53 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Basarnas (National Search and Rescue Agency) revealed that the wreckage of the Virgo Transport 8 ship—which met with an accident in the Java Sea on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026—is currently resting at a depth of approximately 30 meters; consequently, plans to tow the vessel to shallower waters are being considered.
Basarnas Chief Mohammad Syafii stated that the ship's location at this relatively shallow depth is a key factor in managing the incident, noting input from the Indonesian Navy suggesting it is preferable for the vessel to remain stationary if it has settled on the seabed.
"In a situation like this, our colleagues from the Indonesian Navy have indicated that if the ship has sunk to the bottom, it is actually better for it to remain stationary," Syafii said during a press conference regarding the second day of search and rescue (SAR) operations for the *Virgo Transport 8* incident at Trisakti Port, Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on Monday evening.
He mentioned that Basarnas is considering towing the vessel as part of the follow-up response plan, though, for the time being, efforts to locate victims remain focused on the water's surface.
"We certainly remain very hopeful that the victims will be found alive soon," Syafii said.
He noted that the search operation was conducted across six sectors on the second day, though the sector divisions might shift during subsequent operations based on the results of search mapping.
"We will likely shift [sectors] tomorrow, and the details will be sent based on the SAR map generated by the Basarnas Command Center," Syafii said.
As of Monday (Sept. 14) at 10:00 PM Central Indonesian Time (WITA), Basarnas Chief Mohammad Syafii confirmed that 114 victims had been found—comprising 108 survivors and six deceased individuals—leaving 129 people still missing out of a total of 243.
Of the 114 victims found, 86 have arrived at Trisakti Port, Banjarmasin; this group consists of 85 survivors and one deceased victim (whose body has already been handed over to their family). Subsequently, the second deceased victim was brought to Syamsudin Noor Air Force Base in Banjarbaru and handed over to the National Police Headquarters' Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team for further medical examination.
Meanwhile, one survivor arrived at Syamsudin Noor Air Force Base after being evacuated by a Basarnas (National Search and Rescue Agency) helicopter from the crash site; additionally, 26 other victims—comprising 22 survivors and four deceased individuals—are currently being evacuated from the site to Trisakti Port.
The Virgo Transport 8 vessel was carrying 243 passengers and reportedly lost contact in the waters of Masalembo, Java Sea, at approximately 02:00 WITA on Sunday (September 13), while en route from Surabaya to Banjarmasin—a journey that had begun on Saturday (September 12).
Read: Basarnas: Virgo Transport 8 Drifts 1.6 Nautical Miles While Remaining Capsized
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