Wreck of Virgo 8 Drifts 2.9 Km While Inverted
Basarnas has stated that the wreck of KM Virgo Transport 8, which sank in the Java Sea, has shifted approximately 2.9 km, or 1.6 nautical miles, from the original site of the incident.
“I can confirm that the datum position, or the location point, of the Virgo Transport 8 has shifted. From what I reported yesterday, it has now drifted roughly 1.6 nautical miles and is in an inverted condition,” said Basarnas Chief Air Marshal Mohammad Syafii at a press conference on Monday evening (14/9).
Syafii said the shift was caused by the presence of partitions or empty compartments within the wreck, compounded by the fact that the vessel remains in a floating position.
“The ship still contains partitions or empty compartments, which allows it to keep drifting,” he said.
According to him, this has become one of the obstacles in the search for the victims, including the deployment of divers for underwater search operations.
“When there are empty compartments inside the ship, if we force our way in — for instance, if we open one of the partitions of an empty compartment — there would be an extraordinary change in pressure, which would of course be extremely dangerous,” he said.
For this reason, Syafii said his agency continues to coordinate with relevant parties to find the best method for the search operation.
“In fact, we are thinking about how we could change the ship’s prone position and flip it over — that is the first option. Secondly, based on input from our colleagues in the Navy, in a situation like this it might actually be better if the ship were fully submerged and stationary, because the vessel lies at what is genuinely shallow water, roughly 30 metres deep,” he said.
“Next, we are also thinking hard about how we could tow the ship — those are the ideas we are considering for our plans going forward,” he continued.
Furthermore, Syafii said his team continues to maximise surface-level search operations in the hope that victims may still be found alive.
As of Monday, of the 243 people on board, 114 had been successfully located, whilst the remaining 129 were still being searched for.
KM Virgo Transport 8 was reported to have lost contact in the waters of the Java Sea at 02:00 Central Indonesia Time on Sunday (13/9), whilst sailing from Surabaya to Banjarmasin, having departed on Saturday (12/9). The vessel was said to be carrying 243 people, comprising passengers, ship officers and crew.