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Video: Indonesian Rescue Divers Comb Ferry's Wreck for Victims

Rescue team transfers remains recovered from the Virgo Transport 8 (Basarnas)
Rescue team transfers remains recovered from the Virgo Transport 8 (Basarnas)

Published Sep 22, 2026 11:34 PM by The Maritime Executive

More than a week after the sinking of the ferry Virgo Transport 8 off the coast of Indonesia, dive teams continue to comb the upside-down wreckage in search of additional victims. Despite rough surface conditions and the risk posed by strong underwater currents, salvage divers from Indonesian coast guard agency Basarnas retrieved an additional three bodies on Tuesday, the agency says. The discovery brings the total number of victims recovered to 18 people, nine of whom have been identified. More than 100 people remain missing and are believed to have gone down with the vessel. 

Progress at the site has been slow, but Basarnas has committed significant resources to an extended search. Earlier in the week, a dive team found one additional body behind the glass of an exterior window in the side of the hull. Divers broke through the glass to extract the remains. Additional bodies were recovered from an open deck area, where they appeared to have been caught by a railing. 

The dark interior, the currents around the wreck site, the inverted position of the ship, and the hazards of exploring an enclosed space have so far discouraged the divers from entering deeper into the structure. 

 

 

Additional search operations are planned for Wednesday, current and weather conditions permitting. 

Response agencies have considered the possibility of righting and refloating the ship to enable the search - an expensive and difficult proposition - if diving proves to be insufficient. The wreck is in comparatively shallow water, within reach with conventional diving techniques. But the strength of the currents is significant: the site is south of the Makassar Strait and squarely in the middle of the Indonesian Throughflow, the system of ocean currents that moves water from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. Basarnas chief Mohammad Syafii told reporters last week that the currents at this specific site in the Java Sea could hit six to seven knots at peak, far above the normal safety threshold for divers.