Captain of KM Virgo 8 Found Alive, Now Undergoing Questioning

Deputy Minister of Transportation (Wamenhub) Suntana said the captain of KM Virgo Transport 8, which capsized in the Java Sea, has been found alive.

The ship’s captain is among a total of 114 people who have been evacuated so far, of whom 108 were found alive and six have died.

Suntana said the captain of KM Virgo Transport 8 is currently undergoing questioning regarding the tragic incident.

“The captain is alive and is being questioned,” Suntana said at a press conference on Tuesday (15/9).

However, Suntana did not elaborate further on the questioning of the ship’s captain.

Separately, Head of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), Air Marshal Mohammad Syafii, revealed that the EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) — the maritime emergency radio transmitter — on KM Virgo Transport 8 was active.

“I can confirm that the ship’s emergency transmitter was active. On aircraft there is an ELT, on ships it is an EPIRB, and for individuals it is a PLB. So I can confirm that the ship’s EPIRB was active, and it is being monitored by Australia, Singapore, as well as the MEOLUT or LEOLUT stations at Basarnas,” he said.

KM Virgo Transport 8 was reported to have lost contact in the waters of the Java Sea on Sunday (13/9) at 02:00 WITA (Central Indonesia Time), whilst sailing from Surabaya to Banjarmasin, having departed on Saturday (12/9). The vessel was said to be carrying 243 people, comprising passengers, ship crew and staff.

As of Monday (14/9), of the 243 people on board, 114 have been found, while 129 others remain the subject of the search operation.