A passenger ferry named Virgo Transport 8 capsized in the Java Sea off Indonesia on Sunday, September 13, 2026, while traveling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province on Borneo Island. The vessel was carrying 243 people according to its manifest—213 passengers and 30 crew members. Search and rescue operations resulted in the rescue of between 102 and 108 people and the recovery of between one and six bodies by Sunday afternoon, with approximately 130 to 140 people reported missing.
Search continues for approximately 130 missing after Indonesian ferry capsizes in Java Sea
A passenger ferry named Virgo Transport 8 capsized in the Java Sea off Indonesia on Sunday, September 13, 2026, while traveling from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province on Borneo Island. The vessel was carrying 243 people according to its manifest—213 passengers and 30 crew members. Search and rescue operations resulted in the rescue of between 102 and 108 people and the recovery of between one and six bodies by Sunday afternoon, with approximately 130 to 140 people reported missing.
Contact with the Virgo Transport 8 was lost at approximately 2 a.m. Sunday. The rescue agency in Banjarmasin received notification of the incident two hours after contact was lost. The vessel's captain had reported rough seas with waves measured variously as up to 2.5 metres or up to 3 metres (10 feet) before issuing a distress call indicating the ship was listing.
The ferry's last known position was in the Java Sea approximately 148 kilometres (92 miles) from Banjarmasin. The vessel was also transporting 89 vehicles. According to sources, it is common in Indonesia for the actual number of passengers to differ from manifest records.
The Virgo Transport 8 is a 119-metre ferry built in Japan in 1987. According to one source, the vessel operated in Japan until last year before being sold to its current Indonesian operator, PT Virgo Karya Shipping.
By Sunday afternoon, authorities deployed search and rescue teams supported by multiple vessels and helicopters. According to sources, between eight and a dozen vessels were deployed, including four navy ships, along with two helicopters operated by Basarnas, Indonesia's national search and rescue agency.
Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi stated that aerial searches showed the ferry was floating upside down and had not sunk as of 3 p.m. local time on Sunday. Rescuers were concentrating search efforts around the overturned vessel.
Hundreds of relatives gathered at a command center in Banjarmasin's Trisakti port, checking passenger manifests and rescue lists for information about family members. Paramedics and ambulances were on standby in Banjarmasin. Survivors were transported by various vessels, with some being taken to an East Java port.
Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where ferries are a common method of transportation. According to the sources, sea routes are more affordable and readily available than air travel, but safety standards are not always rigorously enforced, resulting in a relatively high accident rate.
The incident occurred four days after a fire that gutted a passenger ferry in the Philippines killed at least 76 people with at least 10 others still missing. Last month, an Indonesian ferry caught fire in rough seas near Bali, with 211 people rescued, one person found dead, and four others remaining missing. Less than two weeks before that, another Indonesian ferry called Mutiara Sentosa 2 caught fire off the main island of Java, leaving at least five people dead.
Where sources differ
- Rescued count: Al Jazeera reports 107 rescued; CBC, NPR, Guardian, and CBS report 107 rescued; NPR reports 108 rescued; New York Post and Jerusalem Post report 102–103 rescued respectively.
- Dead recovered: Al Jazeera, CBC, NPR, Guardian, and CBS report six bodies recovered; New York Post reports one body recovered; Jerusalem Post reports 103 evacuated with one dying (unclear if this refers to a recovered body).
- Missing count: Al Jazeera and most sources report approximately 130 missing; Jerusalem Post and New York Post report 140 missing; NPR reports at least 129 missing.
- Wave height: Al Jazeera and Guardian report waves up to 2.5 metres; CBC, NPR, New York Post, and CBS report waves up to 3 metres or 10 feet.
- Number of vessels deployed: CBC and CBS report eight vessels; NPR reports a dozen vessels.
- Vessel status: Guardian reports the ferry had capsized but had not sunk as of 3 p.m. local time; New York Post states 'sank' without clarifying whether it had completely submerged or remained floating upside down.
- The exact cause of the capsizing is not established by any source beyond adverse weather conditions.
- No statement or account from the ferry operator, PT Virgo Karya Shipping, appears in any source.
- The condition or status of the vessel as of later Sunday or Monday is not documented.
- No information is provided about maintenance records, safety inspections, or regulatory compliance history of the Virgo Transport 8.
- The names and identities of the six deceased are not disclosed in any source.
- No statement from Indonesian maritime or transportation authorities beyond Minister Purwagandhi is included.
- The distribution of injuries among rescued persons and hospitalisation details are not provided.
- Whether all 89 vehicles aboard were successfully accounted for is not addressed.
- The departure time accuracy (one source states 10:33 a.m. Saturday) is reported by only one outlet.
- Al Jazeera English — original
- CBC News
- NPR News — by The Associated Press
- The Jerusalem Post — by REUTERS
- The Guardian — by Reuters
- New York Post — by Associated Press
- CBS News
Read the original at Al Jazeera English