Basarnas: Virgo Transport 8 Drifts 1.6 Nautical Miles While Remaining Capsized
Capsized Virgo Transport 8 Drifts West as Search Effort Continues in Java Sea
Kabarsaji.com – The capsized KM Virgo Transport 8 has moved about 1.6 nautical miles west from the position initially identified after the vessel went down in the Masalembo waters of the Java Sea. The ship remains inverted, creating major challenges for rescuers trying to reach possible victims inside its hull.
Basarnas chief Mohammad Syafii said the movement was detected during the second day of the search and rescue operation on Monday, September 14, 2026. Currents in the area have carried the overturned vessel away from its earlier datum point, the reference location used by search teams to organize operations.
“There has been a shift in the datum position, or the location of the Virgo Transport 8. Compared to what I reported yesterday, it has now drifted approximately 1.6 nautical miles to the west while remaining upside down,” Syafii said.
Syafii spoke during a press conference at Trisakti Port in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, where evacuation and coordination efforts have been centered. The vessel had been travelling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin when it lost contact early Sunday morning.
Inverted Hull Presents Serious Diving Hazards
The ship’s current position makes an underwater entry operation particularly risky. Divers may face confined spaces, changing pressure conditions and the possibility that the wreck could continue moving with the current. Basarnas has stressed that a search inside the vessel cannot proceed until weather, sea conditions and safety requirements allow it.
“If the ship is upside down when the dive team enters, it naturally carries specific risks. Operations can only proceed if regulations and ‘safety first’ principles—meaning guaranteed safety—are met,” he said.
An upside-down vessel can contain compartments and air-filled spaces that complicate rescue planning. Internal bulkheads and empty sections may affect the ship’s movement in the water, meaning teams must first assess the wreck’s stability before selecting a method to search for those still unaccounted for.
Forcing open an internal barrier could trigger a dangerous pressure change within the hull. Syafii said this possibility is a central concern for divers preparing to enter enclosed portions of the ship.
“Regarding these empty spaces within the ship, if we were to force entry—for instance, by opening a bulkhead leading to an empty compartment—there would be a massive pressure change, which would obviously be extremely dangerous,” he said.
The issue is not only finding a route into the vessel but ensuring that rescuers can return safely. Search teams working around a sunken ship must consider visibility, currents, structural condition and the consequences of disturbing enclosed spaces. Those factors are shaping preparations for the third day of the operation.
Specialists Weigh Next Operational Steps
Basarnas plans to involve personnel with relevant experience and specialized training in submerged-vessel incidents as it develops the next stage of the search. Technical decisions are being considered with rescue-worker safety as the primary concern.
“We will hold discussions and involve personnel who possess the necessary capabilities—whether through experience or specialized training—for these types of situations. This is the approach we will develop,” Syafii said.
Authorities are also examining whether the Virgo Transport 8 could be moved from its overturned position to make an internal search more feasible. That option remains under technical review, with teams weighing the risks involved before deciding whether such an operation can be carried out.
The vessel’s drift adds another layer of difficulty to the wider search area. A changing wreck location can affect planning for surface vessels, aircraft and dive teams, while the continued movement of the ship may require the search pattern to be adjusted as conditions develop.
114 People Located, 129 Still Missing
By 10 p.m. Central Indonesian Time on Monday, September 14, Basarnas had located 114 of the 243 people who were aboard the vessel. The total included 108 survivors and six people confirmed dead. A further 129 people remained missing.
Of those found, 86 had reached Trisakti Port in Banjarmasin. That group included 85 survivors and one deceased victim, whose body had already been handed to the family.
A second deceased victim was evacuated to Syamsudin Noor Air Force Base in Banjarbaru. The victim was then transferred to the National Police Headquarters Disaster Victim Identification team for additional medical examination.
One survivor was flown from the accident area to Syamsudin Noor Air Force Base by a Basarnas helicopter. Meanwhile, 26 other victims—22 survivors and four deceased people—were still being transported from the scene to Trisakti Port.
The Virgo Transport 8 departed Surabaya on Saturday, September 12, bound for Banjarmasin. Contact with the vessel was lost at around 2 a.m. WITA on Sunday, September 13, in the Masalembo waters of the Java Sea.
As rescue teams prepare for the next phase, the focus remains divided between locating the missing passengers and determining the safest possible way to examine the ship’s interior. The condition of the overturned hull, its westward drift and the underwater risks will remain critical factors in every decision made by the search operation.
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