Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) launched a major search operation for the Virgo Transport 8 passenger ship carrying 243 people after it lost contact in the Java Sea early Sunday.
I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office, said the vessel lost contact around 2 a.m. local time after encountering severe weather while sailing from Surabaya to Banjarmasin.
The vessel’s last recorded position was about 80 nautical miles from the Basirih SAR Pier in Banjarmasin, Sudayana told a news conference on Sunday morning.
Authorities received the initial distress report at 4:10 a.m. local time from Yoel Rihi, general manager of the vessel’s operator, PT Virgo. The ship left Surabaya at 6:13 p.m. Saturday.
A six-person initial response team was deployed aboard rescue vessel KN SAR Laksmana 241 and headed for the ship’s last known position, about a five-hour journey by sea.
Basarnas is deploying personnel and maritime assets to maximize the search, with the safety of the passengers and crew the operation’s top priority, Sudayana said.
Basarnas is coordinating a joint task force involving the Indonesian Navy, maritime police, navigation and port authorities, state-owned port operator Pelindo and the shipping agency.
Sudayana urged passengers’ families and the public to remain calm and await official updates, saying the joint team was continuously monitoring conditions and adjusting search operations to developments at sea.
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Translator: Tumpal Aritonang, Uyu Liman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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