BANJARMASIN (TABIRkota) — The position of the KM Virgo Transport 8 wreck—which sank in the Java Sea early Sunday morning (Sept 13)—has shifted by 1.6 nautical miles (NM), hindering underwater recovery efforts.
According to the Head of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), Air Marshal Mohammad Syafii, an underwater operation is planned to search for the victims of the KM Virgo Transport 8.
"The underwater search is set to involve the Indonesian Navy’s Kopaska (Frogman Command), specialized Navy diving teams, and Basarnas," he stated during a press conference at the Trisakti Port Command Post in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on Monday evening (Sept 14).
However, he noted that the underwater search had to be postponed due to weather conditions and the fact that the ship’s location (datum) had shifted 1.6 NM from its initial position while remaining in an inverted state.
"This means there are still bulkheads or empty spaces inside the vessel, allowing it to drift or float, which complicates efforts to locate victims," he said.
Attempts to access air pockets inside the ship pose a high risk to diver safety due to the potential for drastic changes in air pressure.
He added that Basarnas, together with the Indonesian Navy, is currently finalizing several technical handling options.
"These range from assessing the possibility of righting the capsized vessel, attempting to have it sink fully and rest on the relatively shallow seabed at a depth of around 30 meters, to planning the towing of the wreck to shallower waters," he added.
During the press conference, Basarnas revealed that out of a total of 243 persons on board (POB) recorded, 114 victims have been successfully located. Among them, 86 survivors have been evacuated to Trisakti Port in Banjarmasin.
Regarding the two fatalities, one victim has been handed over to their family, while the other has been transferred to the National Police Headquarters’ Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team for identification.
Additionally, 26 victims were successfully evacuated during the initial response operations, while a search remains ongoing for another 129 missing passengers.
Earlier, the KM Virgo Transport 8—carrying 243 passengers—was reported to have lost contact in the Java Sea early Sunday (Sept 13) around 02:00 WITA (Central Indonesian Time) while en route from Surabaya to Banjarmasin, having departed on Saturday (Sept 12). (ra)
