Update on Virgo Ship Lost Contact in the Java Sea: One Dead

One person has died after the transport vessel Virgo 8, carrying 243 passengers, lost contact in the Java Sea during the early hours of Sunday (13/9).

The Head of the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue (SAR) Office, I Putu Sudayana, provided this information during a press conference on Sunday. He stated that 103 passengers have been successfully evacuated.

“In detail, TB Mahau 9 evacuated 16 people; 15 survived, and one person passed away,” said Putu. He further noted that TB Mahau 9 would transport the sixteen individuals to Tuban Port, East Java.

In addition to this, TB TCP successfully evacuated 38 passengers, and MP Haida evacuated 49 people, bringing the total number of evacuated passengers to 103.

During the briefing, Putu also discussed the challenges faced during the ongoing search and rescue operation. According to him, sea waves reached heights of 2 to 2.5 metres, creating dangerous conditions for certain vessel sizes.

“It was very risky and precarious for ships like ours owned by Basarnas, which are 40 metres in size,” he remarked. However, Putu emphasised that the team will continue to exert maximum effort to search for and rescue the victims.

The Virgo 8 lost contact at approximately 02:00 after encountering bad weather during its journey. The vessel was carrying 243 passengers and had departed from Surabaya on Saturday (12/9) at 10:13 WIB.

The General Manager of PT Virgo, Yoel Rihi, subsequently reported the incident to the Banjarmasin SAR Office at approximately 04:10 WITA.

The last known position was recorded in the Java Sea waters, approximately 80 nautical miles from the Basirih SAR Pier, Banjarmins.

In response, the Banjarmasin SAR Office dispatched a rescue team at 04:30 WITA. The agency is also coordinating with various parties throughout the search and rescue operation.