Police Name Virgo Transport 8 Captain as Suspect - Tempo.co English

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Water and Air Police (Polairud) of the Indonesian National Police has designated AY, captain of KM Virgo Transport 8, as a suspect in the ship accident that occurred in the Java Sea on September 13, 2026. The National Police Headquarters named the suspect after the case was transferred there.

Polairud Head of the Law Enforcement Sub-directorate, Commissioner Kukuh Prabowo, said the Virgo Transport 8 accident has escalated to the investigation stage. "We have handled it and have now designated the captain as a suspect. He has already been detained," Kukuh stated when confirmed on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.

Kukuh explained that AY is being charged under Article 302 paragraph (3) of Law Number 17 of 2008 concerning Shipping and/or Article 474 paragraph (3) juncto Article 20 of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code (KUHP). "The preliminary investigation is still ongoing to identify other parties that can be held accountable."

Before the transfer, the South Kalimantan Police had conducted a series of examinations and investigations of individuals related to the incident. The captain and the surviving crew members were investigated, as were the other parties involved.

The search operation for the victims of Virgo Transport 8 is still ongoing through a joint team involving the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the police, local government, and other elements.

As of September 28, 2026, the joint team has found 174 of 243 people on the manifest. A total of 108 people were found alive, 66 people were confirmed dead, and 69 people are still missing.

The police supported the search and handling of victims through marine and air elements, as well as the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team. The DVI team works alongside relevant elements to identify deceased victims by matching antemortem data from families with postmortem data of the victims.