Indonesian police arrest four suspects over ferry sinking that killed 82

Indonesian police have arrested four suspects, including the captain and three employees of the company associated with the KM Virgo Transport 8, which sank in the Java Sea last month, killing 82 people.

The Indonesian National Police said on 8 October that all four suspects were in custody as investigators examined allegations of negligence and possible complicity in the disaster.

The vessel was carrying 243 people when it sank in the waters around Masalembo on 13 September while travelling from Surabaya, East Java, to Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan.

As of 6 October, 108 people had survived, 82 had died and 53 remained missing, according to figures reported by local media citing the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas).

Captain and three company officials detained

National Police Public Information Bureau chief Brigadier General Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko identified the four suspects by their initials.

They are AY, the vessel’s captain; LBA, an agent at PT Virgo Karya Shipping; RH, the company’s operations manager; and YR, general manager of its Surabaya branch.

AY has been detained since 25 September, while the three company officials were detained on 4 October. All four are being held at the South Kalimantan Regional Police detention facility.

“The naming of suspects is based on the investigation’s findings and case construction, which indicate allegations of negligence, complicity, or assistance in connection with the ship accident,” Trunoyudo said in a written statement, according to the police’s official news service.

Police said the detention period for AY runs until 14 October, while those of the three company officials run until 23 October.

Police investigate possible corporate involvement

Investigators are examining not only the actions of the captain and those directly involved in operating the vessel, but also whether company personnel contributed to the sinking.

Trunoyudo said investigators would continue examining evidence relating to possible complicity or assistance by other parties. The investigation has not yet established the suspects’ guilt.

Police are applying Article 302(3) of Law No. 17/2008 on Shipping and Article 474(3) of Law No. 1/2023 on the Criminal Code. They are also applying provisions on participation in and assistance with criminal offences under Articles 20 and 21 of the Criminal Code.

The case was transferred from the South Kalimantan Regional Police to the National Police’s Water and Air Police Corps for further investigation. The transfer followed an earlier joint investigation involving several units of the South Kalimantan police, including its water police and special criminal investigation directorates.

Police said the investigation involved questioning the captain, surviving crew members and other relevant parties.

Search continues for 53 missing people

The sinking left 53 people unaccounted for as of 6 October, according to Basarnas figures reported by Indonesian media on 7 October.

Of the 243 people listed on the vessel’s manifest, 190 had been accounted for: 108 survivors and 82 people who died.

Basarnas Banjarmasin chief I Putu Sudayana said underwater searches at the wreck site had been suspended while the search team awaited the vessel’s recovery. The company responsible for the vessel, PT Virgo Karya Shipping, was expected to arrange the wreck’s lifting so that rescuers could resume searches inside it.

Surface searches continued across areas of South, Central and West Kalimantan, where teams were looking for bodies that might have been carried by sea currents towards the coast. Sudayana said no additional victims had been found in the three days before his statement on 7 October.

Vessel lost contact during voyage

The KM Virgo Transport 8 departed Surabaya for Banjarmasin on 12 September. It was reported to have lost contact at about 2am local time on 13 September in the Masalembo waters of the Java Sea.

The subsequent search and rescue operation involved Basarnas and other agencies, with operations coordinated across several regional search and rescue offices.

The latest arrests broaden the criminal investigation from the vessel’s captain to company personnel. Police have said they will continue investigating the roles of other parties as they examine the circumstances that led to the sinking.