Tense Atmosphere as Virgo Ship Tilts and Capsizes in the Java Sea

Ahmad Saudi, one of the survivors of the Virgo Transport 8, recounted the terrifying atmosphere as the ship began to tilt and capsize in the Java Sea. He noted that the situation was particularly harrowing as hundreds of people attempted to save themselves while it was still dark.

As reported by detikKalimantan, Ahmad described the vessel as being overcrowded with passengers. Many people were unable to sleep in their cabins due to the lack of space, forcing them to sleep wherever they could find comfort.

“I brought a bus; I have a unit here. After picking up the bus, I sent it here. I was sleeping near the cabin, on a sofa. The rooms were full, so I slept on a long chair,” he said when met at Trisakti Port, Banjarmins, on Sunday (13/09/2026).

Ahmad Saudi recounted that the ship was being hit by waves from all directions in the Java Sea. According to him, the ship tilted rapidly due to the weight of the trucks positioned on the left side of the vessel.

“I was just following the movement of the ship. When the ship tilted, we held on to the ship first. After that, as it tilted further, we immediately moved to the lower end of the ship. The waves were hitting from both the right and left sides,” he explained.

His primary concern was for the female passengers. He noted that most women had chosen to sleep inside the cabins.

When the ship began to tilt, many passengers in the economy-class cabins were still inside. He suspected that the passengers, who were predominantly women and children, may have been trapped.

“But others, the mothers staying in the economy cabins, they might not have survived because the ship’s tilt happened too quickly. There was no warning alarm. There were no signs. Those of us who made it out were mostly drivers and men. Those in the cabins were unable to escape,” he said.