Virgo Transport 8 Ship Owner Must Remove Wreck, Basarnas Says
Basarnas involves the Virgo Transport 8 owner in removing the wreck, aiming to find victims believed to remain inside the vessel.
Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency, Basarnas, has stressed that ship owners are legally obligated to remove or lift the wreckage of vessels involved in accidents that obstruct navigation or active shipping lanes, as required by the Shipping Law. Basarnas Head Mohammad Syafii explained that this regulation forms the basis for the government's involvement in the case of the KM Virgo Transport 8, which capsized in the Masalembo waters of the Java Sea starting September 13, 2026.
Basarnas is working with other Ministry of Transportation agencies and is urging the owner to take part in the removal of the capsized KM Virgo. Shipowner KM Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 people on a voyage from Surabaya, East Java, to Banjarmasin when it encountered severe weather and lost contact on September 12, 2026. The vessel was found capsized on September 13, 2026, at 02:00 WITA.
Though owners are given up to 180 days to deal with the wreckage, the government wants to expedite the process to rescue victims. Basarnas explained that moving the wreckage isn't solely their responsibility, so they are also involving the ship owner and experts capable of handling the removal to aid search and victim evacuation operations.
As of September 16, 2026, at 10:00 PM WITA, Basarnas has found 114 victims, including 108 survivors and six fatalities, with 129 people still missing from the 243 people on board.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
