Nightmare at Sea: Indonesian Ferry Lists, 140 Still Unaccounted For

One person has died and at least 103 people have been rescued after an Indonesian passenger ferry carrying 243 passengers and crew lost contact in rough weather in the Java Sea early on Sunday, with search and rescue teams still combing the waters for the remaining people aboard.

The Virgo Transport 8, a roll-on/roll-off vessel operated by PT Virgo Karya Shipping, left Surabaya in East Java on Saturday bound for Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan on Borneo. It was carrying people and about 89 vehicles. Contact was lost around 2:00 a.m. local time on Sunday after the captain reported that the ship was tilting, or listing, amid severe weather. Its last known position was roughly 150 kilometres (about 93 miles or 81 nautical miles) from Banjarmasin, near the Masalembo area of the Java Sea.

I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office (Basarnas), said rescuers had evacuated 103 people by midday Sunday. One of those recovered was dead. Nearby commercial vessels played a key role in the early rescues: the Pertamina-linked tanker TB Mauhaw IX (also referred to as MT Mauhau) brought up 16 people including the deceased; the tug TB TCP recovered 38; and the MV Haida, operated by the same company as the stricken ferry, took 49 survivors aboard. Some of those rescued were being taken to ports in East Java, others toward Trisakti Port in Banjarmasin.

Sudayana described difficult conditions, with waves reaching 2.5 metres (8.2 feet). “It is extremely risky for vessels. Even our Basarnas vessel, which is 40 metres long, is at great risk,” he said. A Basarnas helicopter joined surface ships, including navy and other maritime assets, in the search. All vessels in the area were alerted to watch for survivors. A command post was set up at Trisakti Bandarmasih Port in Banjarmasin, with paramedics and ambulances on standby.

ADVERTISEMENT

Anxious relatives gathered at the port, scanning a whiteboard for updates on the names of those rescued. One woman, Jenah, 26, said she had come seeking news of her older brother who was travelling alone. “I am saddened and very shocked. Until now, I haven’t received any more information,” she told reporters. “I hope he survives. I couldn’t contact him since last night.”

Marine accidents remain frequent in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands that depends heavily on ferries for inter-island transport and tourism. Officials and safety observers often point to a combination of unpredictable weather and uneven enforcement of standards as contributing factors. Recent incidents include a ferry fire off Madura last month that left multiple casualties and a separate sinking near Selayar in July.

Authorities emphasised that the priority remains locating and accounting for everyone still missing. Numbers of those recovered have been updated through the day as more vessels report in, and the search continues under challenging sea conditions. Further official statements from Basarnas and port authorities are expected as the operation progresses.