Indonesian ferry sinks in Java Sea with 243 aboard, leaving six dead and 130 missing

Vessel overturns in rough seas

The Japanese-built passenger and vehicle vessel Virgo Transport 8 sank in the Java Sea in the early hours of Sunday, September 13, 2026. Maritime records and operator statements indicate the ship departed the port of Surabaya in East Java on Saturday morning between 10:13 and 10:33 local time. The vessel carried 243 people, comprising 213 passengers and 30 crew members, on a scheduled voyage toward Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan. At approximately 02:00 local time on Sunday, the ship encountered adverse weather conditions with waves reaching heights of up to three meters. The captain issued a distress call informing authorities that the vessel was listing dangerously, approximately 150 kilometers south of Banjarmasin. Radio contact ceased shortly afterward, and emergency agencies later confirmed that the ferry had capsized.

Search and rescue deployment

Indonesian authorities initiated a large-scale search and rescue operation across the waters surrounding the vessel's last known position. The joint response includes the national search and rescue agency, the Indonesian Navy, the marine police, and regional port authorities. Responders deployed patrol vessels, a helicopter, and two commercial tugboats operating in nearby waters to locate survivors. A joint coordination post was established on Sunday morning at Trisakti Port to direct operations. Early rescue counts indicated 97 survivors before rising to 107 and subsequently 113 people pulled from the water by Sunday morning, while rescue teams recovered the bodies of six victims. Rescuers transported survivors onto multiple vessels and toward ports in East Java, while 130 people remain missing.

Operational coordination and weather challenges

I Putu Sudayana, head of the search and rescue office in Banjarmasin, stated in a video briefing that emergency services mobilized all available personnel and marine equipment due to the scale of the incident. Search teams continue to monitor severe weather patterns across the Java Sea, where high waves and rough conditions have hindered operations. Maritime authorities also broadcast alerts to all commercial ships traveling through the corridor, directing them to report any sightings of survivors or wreckage. The vessel operator, PT Virgo Yoel Rihi, confirmed that the ferry was scheduled to arrive at Banjarmasin at 14:00 on Sunday before contact was lost. The search and rescue agency received its initial formal distress notification at 04:10, approximately two hours after communications failed.

Relatives assemble at Trisakti Port

Dozens of relatives gathered at Trisakti Port in Banjarmasin to seek information about missing family members. A local resident, Rusmilawati, arrived at the port searching for eight relatives who were returning home from a journey to Java. The family's final contact with one of the passengers occurred through a WhatsApp message describing conditions at sea: "The waves are really terrifying tonight." Other families received news of survival, including a resident named Misna, whose husband was rescued from the water. The incident follows a ferry fire off Madura Island roughly one month earlier that resulted in five deaths, in an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where passenger vessels serve as a primary transport link.