Arial view of the capsized VIRGO TRANSPORT 8 © Screenprint from video published by the Indonesian Coast Guard

Indonesian capsizing claims several lives

FerryAt least six people have died and 129 remain missing, while 108 have been rescued from an Indonesian RoPax ferry that capsized in the Java Sea. The vessel involved is the 4,277-GT VIRGO TRANSPORT 8, which, according to initial reports, capsized while sailing between Surabaya and Banjarmasin in the South Kalimantan region.

The casualty occurred during the night leading into Sunday, 13 September, when the ferry was approximately 83 nautical miles off the coast. The 1987-built VIRGO TRANSPORT 8 is owned by Indonesian operator Virgo Karya Shipping, which, according to Shippax information, owns no other ferries.

VIRGO TRANSPORT 8 departed Surabaya on Saturday morning and was scheduled to arrive in Banjarmasin at 14:00 local time on Sunday. Indonesian media report that the authorities received a distress call from the ferry at 04:10, after which a major rescue operation was launched under the leadership of the Indonesian Coast Guard.

Weather conditions in the area are reported to have been challenging during the night. There were 213 passengers and 30 crew members on board at the time of the casualty. VIRGO TRANSPORT 8, which has a capacity for 500 passengers, was acquired second-hand by Virgo Karya Shipping in April this year from Japan’s Ishizaki Kisen, for which it had operated under the name FERRY KURUSHIMA since delivery.

sep 14 2026