Three Individuals, Including Captain, Named Suspects in Virgo Transport 8 Sinking

A joint investigation team from the South Kalimantan Regional Police, led by the Director of Special Criminal Investigation, Kombes Pol Sigit Haryono, has named four suspects in relation to the sinking of the Virgo Transport 8 in the Java Sea on 13 September 2026.

“These four suspects include the captain, representatives from the agency PT Virgo Karya Shipping, a branch manager, and an operational manager,” Sigit stated in Banjarmasin on Friday (2/10/2026).

However, Sigit did not disclose the names of the suspects, noting only that the case has now been transferred to the Law Enforcement Sub-directorate of the National Police Water Police and Air Operations (Korpolairud Baharkam Polri).

The captain is currently being detained at the South Kalimantan Regional Police Water and Air Police Directorate (Ditpolairud), while the other three suspects have been issued summonses for interrogation as suspects.

Sigit explained that the transfer of the case to Korpolairud was intended to facilitate the ongoing investigation, as many involved parties must be questioned outside the South Kalimantan region.

Following the incident involving the Virgo vessel, which was sailing from Surabaya to Banjarmasin, Basarnas has evacuated 186 victims from a total of 243 passengers and crew. Of those, 108 individuals were found safe, 78 have been confirmed dead, and the search for the remaining 57 victims is still ongoing.