Basarnas: ROV Technology Used to Map Interior of KM Virgo Wreckage
Banjarmasin (ANTARA) - Basarnas is utilising Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) technology to map the internal condition of the KM Virgo Transport 8 shipwreck at the seabed, serving as a guide for divers in the search for victims.
The Head of the Banjarmasin Class A Search and Rescue Office, I Putu Sudayana, acting as the SAR Mission Coordinator, stated that the ROV is used to navigate the corridors within the ship, with the monitoring results providing a basis for divers to conduct their search.
“Following the monitoring using the ROV, divers worked according to the ROV’s findings. The ROV traces the corridors inside the ship,” said I Putu during a press conference regarding the progress of the eighth day of the SAR operation for the KM Virgo Transport 8 accident, at Trisakti Port, Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on Sunday night.
He explained that the use of the ROV had not been maximised previously due to strong sea currents, necessitating the equipment’s retrieval. Diving operations also faced obstacles as underwater currents intensified to approximately three knots, reaching a risky limit for divers.
“Once the ROV provided an overview, the Basarnas Special Group (BSG) divers took advantage of the brief period of calmer currents during the day to conduct diving operations. Due to limited time, only one victim was successfully found and evacuated, confirmed deceased,” he added.
“Tomorrow, we will deploy the ROV earlier, as we have already obtained an underwater view of the ship’s interior,” he said.
On the eighth day of the SAR operation, Basarnas deployed two units, a Basarnas helicopter, eight large ships, and two small boats to maximise efforts in searching for the remaining missing victims.
Meanwhile, the salvage operation to raise the ship’s hull is still being processed by the relevant company and insurance providers.
As of Sunday, the position of the shipwreck remains unchanged based on monitoring results. Weather factors, strong underwater currents, and waves continue to hinder the search and evacuation process for the victims of KM Virgo Transport 8.
As of the eighth day of the SAR operation, Sunday at 22:00 WITA, Basarnas confirmed that 118 victims have been found, consisting of 108 survivors and 10 deceased. Meanwhile, 125 people remain missing out of the total 243 individuals listed on the KM Virgo Transport 8 manifest.
KM Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 people while sailing from Surabaya, East Java, to Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, since 12 September 2026.
The vessel was reported to have encountered bad weather and lost contact on 13 September 2026 at approximately 02:00 WITA, before eventually being found on the same day capsized in the Masalembo waters, Java Sea.