TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi has instructed his staff and relevant parties to prioritize the search, evacuation, and passenger accounting for the KMP Virgo Transport 8, which was involved in an accident in the Java Sea on Sunday, September 13, 2026.
"Our current priority is to search for and rescue as many passengers and crew members of the KMP Virgo Transport 8 as possible," the Minister stated in Jakarta on Sunday.
The Minister expressed his deepest condolences regarding the KMP Virgo Transport 8 tragedy and prayed that the deceased would find the best resting place with Allah SWT.
He also expressed hope that the survivors would recover quickly and be able to resume their normal activities after receiving care and assistance from all relevant parties.
"On behalf of the Government, we convey our deepest condolences for this tragedy. May the deceased find the best place with Allah SWT, and I hope the survivors recover quickly and can return to their normal activities," he said.
He emphasized that passengers who have been found must immediately receive the best possible assistance.
The Minister noted that the KMP Virgo Transport 8, captained by Arief Yunianto, departed from Surabaya Port on September 12, 2026, at 06:52, bound for Banjarmasin Port. According to the manifest, the vessel was carrying 243 people.
"As of this afternoon, Basarnas [the National Search and Rescue Agency] has successfully evacuated 107 survivors and recovered the bodies of 6 deceased victims. A search is still underway for 136 passengers," he explained.
Regarding the cause of the accident, the Minister has entrusted the investigation process to the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT).
He asked all parties to be patient and allow the KNKT to conduct its work professionally, independently, and based on facts.
"We do not wish to preempt the KNKT investigation. Most importantly, we hope the cause of this accident can be clearly identified and serve as a basis for evaluation to improve maritime safety in the future," the Minister said. The Minister of Transportation expressed his gratitude and high appreciation to Basarnas, the TNI and National Police, the South Kalimantan Provincial Government, medical personnel, vessel operators, and all other relevant parties who collaborated on this humanitarian operation.
He also noted that the Ministry of Transportation has established an Integrated Command Post at Trisakti Port to facilitate coordination, rescue efforts, and data collection.
“Thank you to Pelindo for assisting in the setup of this Integrated Command Post. I hope the entire process proceeds smoothly, and I urge members of the public who are missing family members to immediately report this information to the personnel at the command post,” the Minister said.
