The Directorate General of Sea Transportation of the Ministry of\nTransportation, through the Tanjung Perak Main Port Authority and Office\n(KSOP) and the Banjarmasin Class I KSOP, has reported the latest\ndevelopments regarding the accident involving the passenger ship KMP\nVirgo Transport 8. The vessel reportedly experienced listing and lost\ncontact in the Java Sea waters.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian-flagged Ro-Ro passenger ship, weighing 8,540 GT, is\ncaptained by Arief Yunianto and operated by PT Virgo Karya Shipping.\nBefore the incident, the ship departed from Surabaya Port on 12\nSeptember 2026 at 06:52 LT, destined for Banjarmasin Port.<\/p>\n
The Head of the Banjarmasin Class I KSOP, Heri Purwanto, revealed\nthat the vessel began experiencing difficulties near the Masalembo\nwaters on 13 September 2026 at approximately 02:00 LT. According to\nmanifest data, there were a total of 241 people on board.<\/p>\n
In addition to carrying hundreds of passengers, the ship was also\ntransporting 89 units of vehicle cargo.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have responded swiftly to the reports of the incident involving\nKMP Virgo Transport 8 in the Masalembo waters. Our primary focus and\npriority at this time is the safety of all parties on board through the\ndeployment of a coordinated rescue operation,\u201d said Heri on Sunday\n(13\/9).<\/p>\n
The rescue operation is being conducted intensively by joint SAR\nelements alongside BASARNAS Banjarmasin. The evacuation process is also\nreceiving assistance from commercial vessels near the incident site,\nnamely KM Hai Da, MT Mau Ha, and TB TCP.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the Banjarmasin Type A Class II Navigation District has\ndeployed the State Navigation Ship KN Kunyit to accelerate the process\nof transferring victims from the scene.<\/p>\n
As of this initial report, the joint team has successfully rescued\n107 passengers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to preliminary data, 107 passengers have been successfully\nevacuated safely, 6 people have died, while the process of further\nsearching and data collection continues,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
Currently, relevant authorities are still conducting search and\nidentification processes to ensure the condition of all passengers and\ncrew members who were not included in the initial evacuation phase.<\/p>\n
The Automatic Identification System of ITS (AISITS) monitoring system\nfrom the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) recorded the\nfinal journey of KM Virgo Transport 8 in the Madura Strait.<\/p>\n
The Balikpapan Search and Rescue Office (Basarnas) has deployed the\nState Ship (KN) SAR Wisanggeni to strengthen the search operation for\nthe Virgo Transport 8.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Transport Community (MTI) of South Kalimantan has\nhighlighted the importance of maritime safety supervision following the\naccident of the Virgo Transport 8 in the Java Sea.<\/p>\n
The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) has recorded a\ntemporary death toll of six people in the Virgo Transport 8 accident in\nthe Java Sea waters.<\/p>\n
The Mayor of Banjarmasin, Muhammad Yamin HR, ensured that the local\ngovernment is prepared to handle the passengers and crew of KM Virgo 8\nwho were reported to have lost contact in the Java Sea waters.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/update-on-virgo-transport-8-ship-accident-107-passengers-evacuated-safely-1789296694", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }