Survivor Recounts Harrowing Minutes as Indonesian Ferry Sinks with Hundreds Aboard
A survivor describes the terrifying moments a ferry capsized in the Java Sea. Rescue teams continue searching for over 100 missing passengers.
POLICY WIRE — Banjarmasin, Indonesia — A survivor of the ferry disaster off the coast of Java has described the harrowing moments the vessel capsized in under five minutes, as emergency crews continue a desperate search for dozens of missing passengers three days after the tragedy.
The Virgo Transport 8 was traveling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin when it lost contact with its operator shortly after departing on Saturday. The ship, which was expected to complete a 510km journey, was found inverted nearly 150km from its destination port.
Rizky Apriansyah, a waiter on the ferry, recalled being awakened by friends at 1 a.m. to find the ship already listing at a 30-degree angle. He described waves reaching 3-4 meters in height as he and his companions scrambled to escape, noting that no alarm was sounded before the vessel went down.
“When I went out that door, I immediately fell onto the ship’s railing. I held on and hugged my friends, then we were swept away by the waves,” Apriansyah told Reuters. “It only took minutes for the ship to capsize, even less than 10 minutes.”
Apriansyah and his friends survived by clinging to a 12kg cooking gas cylinder for 10 hours until they were spotted by a passing vessel. Another five crew members were reportedly saved by holding onto an empty LPG cylinder, according to the Antara news agency.
📄 POLICY WIRE WHITEPAPER PUBLISHED: PAKISTAN’S NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY PRIORITIES
Virgo Karya Shipping stated it could not immediately explain why the alarm failed to sound, noting that it needed to consult with the crew. As of Tuesday, the Indonesian search and rescue agency, Basarnas, confirmed six deaths, while 129 people remained missing. Reports on the total number of passengers vary, with Reuters citing 234 people aboard and Antara reporting 243.
Severe weather conditions hampered recovery efforts, delaying the arrival of 22 survivors at the Trisakti port by a full day. “The plan was to evacuate them to the Trisakti port yesterday but adverse weather conditions prevented us from doing so,” said I Putu Sudayana, head of the local search and rescue agency. “We cannot fight nature; the swells and waves in the area were extremely high.”
A massive operation involving nearly 1,100 personnel, including navy and police units, is currently underway. The search is supported by over a dozen vessels and five aircraft, with Basarnas chief Mohammad Syafii emphasizing that teams are adjusting their tactics daily to account for shifting currents in the Java Sea.
Syafii defended the agency’s protocols, stating that operations are subject to annual audits by the International Maritime Organisation. He urged the public to rely on official updates as the search continues.
Marine accidents remain a frequent occurrence in Indonesia, an archipelago of over 17,000 islands that relies heavily on maritime transport. Experts often cite lax safety standards and volatile weather as primary contributors to such disasters.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
