Basarnas Brings in US and Hong Kong Experts to Salvage Virgo Transport 8

On September 17, Indonesia's Basarnas announced it had called in expert teams from the United States, Hong Kong, and Indonesia to attempt a salvage of the KM Virgo Transport 8, the ferry that capsized in the Java Sea four days earlier.

Of the 243 people aboard when the ship went over on 13 September, 108 have been rescued and six have died. 129 remain missing.

Bad weather has repeatedly blocked dive teams from reaching the wreck, which sits about 30 meters below the surface. Basarnas head Mohammad Syafii described the salvage as a contingency plan if rough conditions continue to make underwater searches impossible.

The approach: inflate bags around the capsized hull to right the ship, search the interior for victims, then tow it away for investigation. Syafii said the process could take around 24 hours if conditions allow.

Some members of the expert team were already on site by Wednesday morning. Others were expected at 10 a.m. to assess the ship's condition and determine what equipment the operation would need.

The salvage effort follows President Prabowo’s September 16 call for an investigation into the Virgo Transport 8 sinking.