Indonesia has deployed the navy's specialist hydrographic survey vessel KRI Canopus-936 as the search continues for 129 people missing from the capsized passenger ferry Virgo Transport 8.
The ferry's inverted wreck has drifted approximately 1.6 nautical miles west from its earlier recorded position and is now reported to be at a depth of around 30 metres in the Java Sea.
Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency, Basarnas, said the wreck remains unstable. Trapped air and empty compartments could allow it to move unexpectedly, while sudden pressure changes would present an additional danger to divers entering enclosed sections.
Specialist ship begins underwater search
KRI Canopus-936 has been brought into the operation with underwater-survey technology including a remotely operated vehicle, an underwater drone and a multibeam echo sounder.
The equipment can help search teams locate and map targets around the wreck while reducing the immediate risk to divers working in poor visibility and strong currents.
Specialist personnel from Basarnas and the Indonesian Navy are also involved. Divers remain available, but any attempt to enter the ship will depend on the weather, sea state and whether the wreck can be considered sufficiently stable.
Basarnas has said it is considering whether the vessel could be turned upright or brought closer to the surface. No decision to move or raise the wreck had been confirmed when this article was prepared.
Rough seas hamper operation
The third day of the search began on Tuesday 15 September with approximately 1,100 personnel, 17 vessels and ten aircraft or helicopters involved, according to information supplied to Reuters by the Banjarmasin rescue agency.
Waves of approximately 1.75 to 2.5 metres continued to restrict the operation. Poor conditions prevented teams from beginning the planned underwater search on Monday, leaving rescuers limited largely to searches from the air and the sea surface.
Twenty-two survivors whose onward evacuation had been delayed by high waves have since been transferred through Indonesian naval vessels for the journey to Banjarmasin.
Six dead and 129 still missing
Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 passengers and crew while sailing from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan.
The vessel encountered severe weather and lost contact at approximately 2am local time on Sunday 13 September. It was subsequently found capsized in waters near Masalembo.
As of the latest confirmed figures used for this report, 108 people had survived and six people had died. A further 129 remained missing.
Basarnas said no additional survivors or bodies were found during Monday's search. Officials nevertheless said the operation remained focused on the possibility of finding people alive.
The cause of the accident remains subject to investigation. Confirmed accounts indicate that the vessel was struck by high waves before listing and capsizing, but Deck7 is not attributing a final cause while the official investigation and search operation continue.
This remains a developing incident. Casualty figures and operational details may change as Indonesian authorities release further verified information.