Banjarmasin | 13 Sep 2026
Indonesian passenger ship Virgo Transport 8 was reported to have sunk near Banjarmasin on 13 September, with one death reported and search operations continuing. Dhany Rachmad, general manager of Pelindo’s Kotabaru port, told Radio Suara Surabaya that information gathered from the scene indicated the vessel had capsized after developing a leak.
The ship was travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan when it encountered bad weather. Initial reports had described a loss of communication in the Java Sea.
Virgo Transport 8 Rescue Figures Remain Preliminary
In an earlier update, Pelindo officials told Suara Surabaya that 115 people had been evacuated, with one death and one injury included in that account. The report put the number aboard at 240 and said 125 people were still being sought. These figures were provisional.
Initial accounts differed on the number aboard. The Associated Press reported 241 people, while Indonesian broadcaster tvOne quoted Banjarmasin search-and-rescue chief I Putu Sudayana as saying 243. A reconciled passenger and crew total was not available in those reports.
Nearby Ships Join Search Near Banjarmasin
Passing vessels helped recover people from the water, while a search-and-rescue ship was dispatched from Banjarmasin. Evacuation arrangements were being coordinated through Trisakti port.
Rachmad said the captain had reported a leak before the ship developed a list. The cause of the leak remained unknown; bad weather had been reported, but a definitive cause of the incident had not been established.
Virgo Transport 8, Indonesia ship rescue, Java Sea ship incident, Banjarmasin rescue operation, Surabaya Banjarmasin passenger ship, Indonesia maritime news
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