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Indonesia: Search for ship carrying over 240 passengers after it loses contact

Sunday, 13 September 2026 05:27

Indonesian officials have launched a search for a passenger ship carrying more than 240 after it lost contact in the Java Sea during bad weather.

In a statement, the country's search and rescue agency said the Virgo Transport 8 ship set sail on Saturday from Surabaya, East Java, to the South Kalimantan city of Banjarmasin on Borneo before losing contact.

"At the time of this statement, the ship cannot be contacted and its whereabouts are unknown," the agency said.

It later said around 103 people had been rescued, but there have also been no reports of casualties.

The Search and Rescue Office in Banjarmasin said it received a report that the ship had experienced a communication failure, with initial information indicating the vessel's last known position was about 148 kilometres from a pier.

Indonesia, an archipelago made up of around 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries to travel between islands, with sea routes more affordable and readily available than air travel.

However, safety standards are not always strictly enforced, which results in a relatively high accident rate.

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