Virgo Karya Management Says Salvage Operation Is Progressing

Banjarmasin (ANTARA) – The management of the Virgo Transport 8, PT Virgo Karya Shipping, says the salvage operation to raise the vessel to the surface is continuing.

“Divers have carried out the initial mapping,” said Dwi, head of the company’s Banjarmasin branch, on Wednesday.

The mapping is needed to establish the position of the vessel, which capsized on the seabed.

The diving team hired by the ship’s management will also undertake oil recovery from the vessel.

The operation to drain oil and fuel waste from the sunken ship is intended to prevent marine pollution.

The salvage operation is the families’ last hope of finding the remaining victims, who are believed to be trapped inside the vessel.

Basarnas is also waiting for the ship to be raised so that the search can resume, with teams able to sweep the wreck site once the vessel is at the surface.

A total of 53 people aboard the Virgo remain missing after the ship sank in the Java Sea on 13 September 2026.

So far, 190 people have been found: 108 survivors and 82 dead. The vessel was carrying 243 passengers and crew and was travelling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin.