Indonesian passenger ship with 243 on board loses contact; one dies, 103 evacuated: What we know so far

Indonesian rescuers launched a search operation on Sunday after authorities lost contact with a passenger ship carrying 243 people in the Java Sea, officials said. According to the latest reports, the rescue agency said that about 103 people have been evacuated from the Indonesian ship, which was earlier reported as missing at sea.

Here’s what we know about the incident so far

1. The passengers were traveling from East Java to South Kalimantan province. The passenger and cargo ship Virgo Transport 8 departed from Surabaya in East Java on Saturday before running into bad weather and losing contact with its shipping company early on Sunday.

“The ship’s operator reported the incident to the authorities after receiving information that the vessel encountered bad weather,” I Putu Sudayana, who heads the Search and Rescue Bureau, said in a video briefing.

2. The search and rescue office in the city of Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, which is located on the island of Borneo, said it received a report two hours after contact with the Virgo Transport 8 was lost at about 2am on Sunday.

3. The vessel’s last position was found in the waters of the Java Sea, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) from its destination, the Banjarmasin Pier, said I Putu Sudayana, head of the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office.

4. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Sudayana, who is coordinating the search, said authorities had mobilized all available personnel and assets because the vessel was carrying a large number of passengers and crew.

Sudayana was quoted by AFP as saying: “We received a report of loss of contact with Virgo Transport 8 and immediately deployed personnel and KN SAR Laksmana 241 to the estimated last known position.”

“Given the relatively large number of passengers and crew on board, we will optimize coordination with all relevant elements to expedite the search process and ensure the safety of all passengers and crew,” Sudayana said.

He said the agency is coordinating the search with maritime authorities and other relevant agencies while closely monitoring weather conditions in the area.

5. As many as 103 people were evacuated, one of whom died, a search and rescue agency official told Reuters.

Marine accidents are a common occurrence in Indonesia

Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries as a key mode of transport, with sea routes being more affordable and easily accessible than air travel.

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

A speedboat carrying eight people, including five journalists working for local and international news agencies, went missing off the Mount Anak Krakatau volcano in Banten province on Monday, and the search is ongoing.

Journalists were dispatched to cover the volcanic eruption that paralyzed Jakarta’s main airport and several others.

Last month, a fire on board a ferry killed one person and left five others missing, while 211 were rescued in the Lombok Strait off the Indonesian island of Bali.

The ferry was heading from Bali to Lombok when it ran into trouble in the early hours of August 12.

In July, a ferry carrying more than 70 people sank while sailing near Selayar, a small island south of Sulawesi.