Lost Ferry Virgo Transport 8 to be Raised to Recover Remains

55 people remain missing and are believed to be within the wreck

A fish explores the upside-down hull of Virgo Transport 8 (Basarnas)

The insurer and the owner of the lost ferry Virgo Transport 8 have reached an agreement to raise the wreck of the sunken vessel, potentially enabling the recovery of up to 55 additional missing passengers and crewmembers.

If raised intact to preserve human remains, the procedure would be an exception to the norm for salvage. Whole-ship raising is costly and technically challenging, and is rarely attempted. The location and state of Virgo Transport 8 will present significant additional complications for any salvor: the site has strong currents, which limit diver access, and the wreck is fully inverted, resting on its superstructure. On the favorable side, it came to rest in shallow water, putting it within reach for commercial divers without special techniques.

A spokesperson from the shipowner, PT Virgo Karya Shipping, told local media that it has been involved in extensive discussions with its P&I insurer, which is based abroad. The owner has also secured significant backing from Indonesian government agencies in pressing for the timely appointment of a salvor.

As of yet a contract has not been signed, but a final agreement with an international salvage partner is expected soon. The spokesperson told Tempo that the objective is to have the salvage team on scene by the end of the month.

Kemana korban 55 lagi? Infonya Sejak 2 hari lalu sudah tidak ditemukan lagi korban baru. SC : Basarnas https://t.co/XHtjtRTyAC
— jktlife (@joneshop) October 4, 2026

Regional port authority KSOP Banjarmasin has been pushing Virgo Karya Shipping to complete the raising in short order because of the number of victims remaining within the wreck. Dozens of salvage divers have been working to retrieve remains from within the vessel, but the work is hazardous: in addition to the currents, the interior compartments are narrow, dark, and cluttered with debris - and are all inverted because of the ship's position. If raised to the surface, an interior search would be straightforward.

The last major ferry raising operation carried out in Asia provides a cautionary tale. The 2017 retrieval of the wrecked ro/pax ferry Sewol from deep water off South Korea took months longer than planned, and it overshot its budget by a factor of three, forcing the salvor to take a significant loss.