Basarnas Deploys 6 BSG Divers to Search Inside KM Virgo Transport 8
Banjarmasin, VIVA – Basarnas has intensified the search for victims of the KM Virgo Transport 8 by deploying six personnel from the Basarnas Special Group (BSG) to sweep the interior of the capsized ship in the Masalembo waters, Java Sea.
The diving operation was conducted on Sunday, 20 September 2026, to search for victims believed to be trapped within the hull of the vessel.
Head of Basarnas, Air Marshal Mohammad Syafii, stated that the diving operation is being carried out with a primary focus on personnel safety.
“We have deployed six BSG personnel to sweep the inside of the ship. Our focus is to find the victims. We will continue to exert maximum effort, but the safety of the divers remains our priority,” Sargo said in his statement on Sunday.
In addition to deploying divers, Basarnas has prepared the KN SAR Kamajaya to conduct sweeping operations around the site. The vessel will also drop anchor near the position of KM Virgo Transport 8 to support the diving process.
Syafii noted that the search operation is ongoing, involving maritime units and diving teams. The primary focus of the joint team is currently to locate victims whose whereabouts remain unknown.
The diving efforts were initiated after Basarnas decided to extend the SAR operation for the victims of KM Virgo Transport 8.
On the seventh day of the operation, Saturday night, 19 September 2026, Basarnas announced that the search would be extended for the next seven days.
Director of Operations at Basarnas, Rear Admiral Yudhi Bramantyo, stated that the decision was made following coordination with SAR operation stakeholders and the salvage team coordinated by the ship’s owner.
As of Saturday night at 21:00 WITA, 117 people have been found. Of that number, 108 were declared safe and nine people have died.
Meanwhile, 126 people remain missing out of a total of 243 individuals recorded on the KM Virgo Transport 8 manifest.
On the seventh day of the search, the joint team had not yet found any additional victims.
KM Virgo Transport 8 was previously sailing from Surabaya, East Java, to Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on 12 September 2026.
However, on 13 September 2026, at approximately 02:00 WITA, the ship was reported to have encountered bad weather and lost contact. The vessel was subsequently found on the same day in a capsized condition in the Masalembo waters, Java Sea.