Updated 4 October 2026: This article has been updated following new information from Indonesian search and rescue authorities confirming that 80 people have died, 55 remain missing and the underwater search of the Virgo Transport 8 has now ended. A salvage operation to raise the vessel is expected during October.
Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency has ended diving operations inside the wreck of the Virgo Transport 8 after underwater teams recovered 50 victims during three weeks of increasingly difficult operations in the Java Sea.
The wider search and rescue operation remains active, however, with 55 people still missing.
By the end of the 21st day of the operation, Basarnas confirmed that 188 of the 243 people listed on the vessel’s manifest had been found. Of those, 108 survived and 80 were confirmed dead.
The latest figures represent a significant development in an operation in which divers have played a major role in recovering victims trapped inside the sunken vessel.
50 Victims Recovered By Divers
Basarnas chief Mohammad Syafii said combined underwater teams recovered 50 bodies from the wreck during the first 21 days of the operation.
Divers were typically carrying out four to five sorties each day, with multiple teams deployed during each sortie.
The operation has been exceptionally challenging.
The wreck lies at a depth of approximately 27 metres, where divers using scuba equipment had an estimated working time of no more than around 20 minutes per dive.
Divers were able to penetrate approximately 10 to 15 metres into parts of the vessel after access was created through several windows.
Inside, they encountered extremely poor visibility caused by sediment and debris, numerous sharp objects, oil contamination and other potential chemical hazards.
The position of the vessel itself presented another serious risk.
Basarnas said the wreck remained unstable and capable of changes in trim or angle, creating the possibility of sudden movement while divers were operating inside.
Some areas of the vessel remained inaccessible, including sections around its port side.
Underwater Search Ends
After three weeks of operations, Basarnas has now ended the diving phase of the search.
No additional victims had been recovered through the underwater access points during the final three days of diving.
Authorities said the changing condition of victims believed to remain inside the vessel also meant that attempting to extract them underwater was no longer considered effective.
Basarnas said its divers had reached the limits of what could reasonably be achieved inside the wreck while maintaining acceptable safety conditions.
The decision does not mean the overall search has ended.
Basarnas has confirmed that the wider SAR operation will continue, although personnel and resources are being adjusted following the first 21 days.
Search efforts are now concentrating on areas where victims could have been carried by currents, including waters associated with South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and West Kalimantan.
The command post in Banjarmasin also remains operational.
55 People Remain Missing
The latest official figures leave 55 people still unaccounted for from the 243 people recorded on the Virgo Transport 8 manifest.
Basarnas has stressed that the search has not been closed.
The agency believes additional victims could remain inside parts of the wreck that divers have been unable to safely reach.
Attention is therefore increasingly turning towards the next major phase of the operation: raising the vessel.
Virgo Transport 8 Expected To Be Raised
The operator of the Virgo Transport 8, PT Virgo Karya Shipping, says a salvage operation to raise the wreck is expected to take place during October.
Company spokesperson Simson Fransiscus Rihi said the operator had been working with its international Protection and Indemnity insurers on arrangements for the operation.
According to the company, the planned salvage has received approval from Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation, Basarnas and the relevant harbour and port authorities.
Some documentation and preparations still need to be completed before the operation can begin.
Raising the vessel could provide access to sections of the wreck that underwater teams were unable to search safely and may therefore prove critical to recovering additional victims.
It could also become an important stage in determining more about the circumstances surrounding the sinking.
Search Continues After Three Weeks
The scale and duration of the operation underline the difficulties faced by Indonesian search and rescue teams following the loss of the Virgo Transport 8.
Divers operated repeatedly inside an unstable wreck in poor visibility and at depths that severely restricted their working time.
Their work ultimately resulted in the recovery of 50 victims from inside the vessel.
With diving operations now concluded, the focus shifts to continued surface searching and the planned salvage of the wreck.
For the families of the 55 people who remain missing, the operation is not yet over.
The Scuba News will continue to monitor the search, salvage operation and any official findings concerning the loss of the Virgo Transport 8.
