KNKT Responds to Viral Claims That KM Virgo Circled Before Sinking

A narrative has circulated on social media claiming that KMP Virgo Transport 8, which departed from Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya, circled repeatedly in the Java Sea before finally sinking. The National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) has responded to the claim.

According to the widely shared posts, an illustration of KMP Virgo’s route shows the vessel departing from Surabaya and sailing in a straight line across the Java Sea towards Banjarmasin.

However, after travelling more than 200 kilometres, the illustrated route shows the vessel turning left repeatedly until it formed a circle. The turns occurred several times, with the diameter growing progressively smaller, until the vessel finally stopped because it had sunk.

KNKT Chairman Soerjanto Tjahjono said the committee is still gathering field data and conducting interviews with relevant parties as part of its investigation into the accident.

“The KNKT team is still in the phase of collecting field data and conducting interviews; it has not yet carried out any analysis,” Soerjanto said when contacted on Tuesday (15/9/2026).

Soerjanto stressed that the narrative that KMP Virgo circled to the left cannot yet be confirmed. He said his team has yet to process the vessel’s Automatic Identification System (AIS) data.

“Not yet (it cannot be confirmed). We have to open the AIS data at the office, and the software is on the office computer,” he explained.

As is known, the Virgo Transport 8 capsized and sank while encountering bad weather during its journey from Surabaya to Banjarmasin, carrying 243 people. According to data from Basarnas and the Ministry of Transportation, 114 victims have been evacuated.

Quoted from the Ministry of Transportation’s official website on Monday (14/9), manifest data shows the vessel was carrying a total of 243 people, comprising 30 crew members, 27 ship working partners, 59 adult passengers, one child, and 126 drivers and bus conductors, along with 89 vehicle cargo units.

Six passengers died in the incident. Meanwhile, 129 others remain missing.