House Commission V Calls for Moratorium on All Passenger Ships Following KM Virgo Incident
Syaiful Huda, Deputy Chairman of House Commission V of the Indonesian House of Representatives, has called for a moratorium on all passenger ship operations following the accident involving KMP Virgo Transport 8. The moratorium would remain in place until there is certainty over which vessels are seaworthy and which are not.
“Firstly, we are calling for a moratorium on operations, particularly across all ship operators. This moratorium would take the form of seeking certainty across all passenger routes regarding whether vessels are seaworthy or not. Ramp checks must genuinely be carried out on all ship operators to confirm their seaworthiness,” Huda told journalists on Tuesday (15/9/2026).
Huda asked the Ministry of Transport (Kemenhub) to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the licences issued to all vessels. According to him, revocation of licences should be applied to ships that violate service and passenger safety standards.
“Once problems are found — whether operators failing to meet service standards or safety and security standards, or even those with the potential to breach them — we are asking for sanctions that are not merely administrative, but potentially extending to revocation of licences,” he said.
Furthermore, the politician from the National Awakening Party (PKB) urged the Ministry of Transport to implement an integrated system covering all ship manifests operating in Indonesia. He described this as urgent and non-negotiable.
“We are asking our colleagues at the Ministry of Transport to genuinely ensure an integrated system concerning our ship manifests. This is no longer something that can be bargained over or negotiated. An integrated manifest system for all ships must be implemented going forward,” he said.
“On top of this, there is the issue of supervision carried out by all harbourmasters, particularly at the major ports,” he added.
The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 people when it capsized and sank after encountering bad weather on its journey from Surabaya to Banjarmasin. According to data from the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) and the Ministry of Transport, 114 victims have so far been evacuated.
According to the Ministry of Transport’s official website, data from Monday (14/9) showed the manifest listed a total of 243 people on board: 30 crew members, 27 ship working partners, 59 adult passengers, one child, and 126 drivers and bus conductors, along with 89 vehicle cargo units.