Basarnas monitors sea currents to ensure diver safety during KM Virgo operation
Banjarmasin (ANTARA) - Basarnas is monitoring rapidly changing underwater current conditions at the KM Virgo Transport 8 accident site, utilising periods of calm seas to allow Basarnas Special Group (BSG) divers to enter the sunken vessel.
I Putu Sudayana, Head of the Banjarmasin Class A Search and Rescue (SAR) Office and SAR Mission Coordinator, stated that divers take advantage of windows when currents subside and waves diminish, as these conditions are short-lived, requiring the team to act immediately.
“When the underwater currents are calm and waves are small, that is the time the diving team utilises to carry out dives, and that window does not last long,” said Putu during a press conference regarding the progress of the ninth day of the SAR operation for the KM Virgo Transport 8 accident at Trisakti Port, Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on Monday night.
According to him, the limited diving windows force the team to maximise every opportunity when sea conditions allow, specifically when current speeds fall below 2.5 knots, enabling divers to descend for searches and successfully evacuate several victims from within the ship’s hull.
“Racing against time, we have been able to maximise the available opportunities, allowing us to evacuate several victims. Thanks to this approach, divers successfully located and evacuated five bodies from inside the sunken ship during the ninth day of the SAR operation,” he said.
“The most difficult and dangerous areas to reach are the lower compartments. This is the most challenging and risky part because once we enter the lower sections of the ship, we cannot be certain of the vessel’s current stability,” he added.
He noted that divers must also use specific techniques when breaking glass in various parts of the ship’s hull to reach certain interior sections, as breaking glass can create immense pressure surges if a diver is positioned directly in front of it.
“Once the glass breaks, there will be an extraordinary surge. This poses a significant danger to the divers themselves,” he explained.
Putu emphasised that these various conditions are a primary concern for the team, particularly when divers are working at depth and entering partitioned compartments of the ship, meaning every diving opportunity must be utilised while carefully weighing the risks to diver safety.
As of Monday (21/9) night at 10:00 WITA, Basarnas confirmed that 123 victims have been found, consisting of 108 survivors and 15 deceased, while 120 victims remain missing from the total of 243 individuals listed on the KM Virgo Transport 8 manifest.