Banjarmasin (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) emphasised the ongoing search for victims of the Virgo Transport 8 ship incident complies strictly with international standards.
“Our team alternates between search methods every day because we are working according to various field factors,” Basarnas Chief Mohammad Syafii said at a press conference of SAR operations in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on Tuesday night (Sept 15).
Syafii noted measures on day one were confined to eight determined sectors, with six sectors coming under focus on subsequent days based on further assessments and actual conditions.
The approach is necessary to adapt to and keep track of currents in the Java Sea, aiming to increase the chance of locating victims by combing areas with higher confidence levels.
While searching for the victims possibly swept away by currents, Syafii affirmed Basarnas still views operations in and near the shipwreck as highly important.
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He further stressed his agency is committed to making decisions based on strong technical and legal grounds, highlighting planned measures to intervene with the position or state of the capsized vessel.
Basarnas is subject to an annual audit by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), he added, reiterating the agency abides by international provisions and carries out every operation with full accountability.
“What we do strictly refers to legal grounds that can be accounted for,” Syafii stressed.
He also asked families of the victims and broader public to rely on Basarnas for credible information on SAR progress.
Basarnas had confirmed the evacuation of 114 of 243 people aboard the ferry by Tuesday night, with six reported dead. All survivors and bodies had been brought ashore.
The search remains underway around the ship, which capsized while voyaging from East Java to South Kalimantan on Sunday (Sept 13).
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Translator: Tumpal Andani, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Fransiska Ninditya
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