September 14, 2026 | 01:01 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The KM Virgo Transport 8 passenger ship accident occurred in the Java Sea on Sunday, September 13, 2026. Head of the Banjarmasin Class I Harbormaster and Port Authority Office (KSOP), Heri Purwanto, stated that the incident began when the ship listed, or tilted, and lost contact in the Masalembo waters around 2:00 a.m. local time.
Based on the manifest data, the ship was carrying 241 people. This comprised 30 crew members, 27 ship work partners, 59 adult passengers, 1 child, and 124 drivers and assistants along with 89 units of vehicle cargo. Heri stated that 143 passengers had either been evacuated safely or received medical treatment.
"The search and further data collection process is ongoing," he said in a press release from the Ministry of Transportation on Sunday afternoon.
Prior to the accident, the KMP Virgo Karya Shipping departed from the Port of Surabaya on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at 06:52. The ship, captained by Arief Yunianto and operated by PT Virgo Karya Shipping, was sailing towards the Port of Banjarmasin.
Regarding the preliminary suspected cause of the ship's accident, Heri said that it is still under investigation and awaiting further confirmation. "Tanjung Perak Main KSOP and Banjarmasin Class I KSOP are committed to continuously monitoring the handling of this incident periodically and will provide official updates to the public as the progress in the field develops," he said.
According to Heri, the current primary focus and priority is the safety of all parties on board the ship through rescue operations.
Heri also mentioned that Banjarmasin Class I KSOP had established a post at the Passenger Terminal Bandarmasih, Trisakti Port, Banjarmasin. The post was designed to facilitate intensive coordination with the relevant parties such as Basarnas, BUP PT Pelindo, the Banjarmasin Navigational District Office, PT Pelindo III Banjarmasin's Guiding Division, ship agency parties, and family members.
Meanwhile, Basarnas deployed 22 search and rescue fleets comprising 17 marine units and 5 air units to search for the 129 victims who were still missing out of a total of 243 people in the Virgo Transport 8 Ship accident. Basarnas Head Mohammad Syafii stated that seven additional fleets were deployed on the second day of the SAR operation, bringing the total number of marine and air units from Basarnas, the Indonesian Navy, the police, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), and other units to 22. These units are working to strengthen the search and evacuation of victims. "On the second day of the SAR operation, in our air fleets, we directly deployed five aircraft and helicopters," said Mohammad Syafii in a press conference on the progress of the SAR operation for the Virgo Transport 8 Ship accident at Trisakti Port, Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on Monday, September 14, 2026, as quoted from Antara.
Read: South Kalimantan Governor Calls for Safety Review After Virgo Transport 8 Sinking
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