Antara News·Indonesia·Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 06:44 AM

Ministry to probe alleged import ineligibility of Virgo 8 ferry

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Tumpal Andani, Resinta Sulistiyandari

Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Transportation conveyed commitment to investigate the entry process of the Virgo Transport 8 ferry, which is suspected of violating import requirements as the vessel was already 38 years old when it entered Indonesia.

"We will conduct a further investigation. I cannot give an answer yet because we need to examine the details first," Deputy Minister of Transportation Suntana said during a press conference on Wednesday (September 16).

Earlier, House of Representatives (DPR RI) Commission V member Sofwan Dedy Ardyanto raised concerns about the age of Virgo Transport 8, which was reportedly 39 years old when it sank in the Java Sea on September 13. The vessel entered Indonesia at around 38 years old.

"According to Minister of Trade Regulation Number 20 of 2021, passenger ships and ferries may only be imported if they are a maximum of 15 years old," Ardyanto remarked as quoted from the official Instagram account @dpr_ri.

Therefore, he urged the government to investigate the vessel's entry process into Indonesia, including the regulatory basis and permits used at the time of import, given the existing provisions regarding the import of used capital goods, which regulate specific vessel types and age limits.

Suntana said the vessel’s age could not yet be identified as the cause of the accident. Technical and operational factors, as well as the exact cause, still need to be determined through examinations and investigations by relevant authorities, particularly the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT).

The Minister of Trade Regulation No. 20 of 2021 on Import Policies and Arrangements, cited by DPR RI Commission V, was revoked and declared void.

Regarding the import of used goods, the government issued Minister of Trade Regulation No. 24 of 2025, which came into effect on August 30, 2025.

The regulation stipulates that the import of used goods generally requires an import permit and, for specific goods, technical verification or tracing.

The regulation also establishes an import approval mechanism for granting dispensations regarding capital goods of used goods, including transportation mode under tariff heading 89, where the description, tariff heading, and/or age limit are not listed in the regulation's attachment.

Minister of Trade Regulation No. 24 of 2025 concerning Import Policies and Arrangements for Used Goods (BMTB) regulates age limits for ships under tariff heading 89.01 across several categories, with a maximum listed age limit of 25 years.

Virgo Transport 8 ferry was carrying 243 people while sailing from Surabaya, East Java, to Banjarmasin, having departed on September 12, 2026.

The vessel reportedly encountered bad weather and lost contact before being found capsized in the waters of Masalembo, Java Sea, on September 13, 2026, at 01:00 WIB (Western Indonesia Time).

As of September 15, the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) reported that 114 people had been accounted for, including 108 survivors and six fatalities. Of the 243 people listed on the ship’s manifest, 129 remain missing.

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