inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The Indonesian National Police (INP) have named the captain of the KM Virgo Transport 8, AY, a suspect in the sinking of the vessel in the Java Sea. Following his arrest, AY was immediately detained for further legal proceedings.
The suspect was named by the INP's Water Unit Directorate after investigators conducted an in-depth investigation of several parties involved in the incident.
"We have named the captain as a suspect and he has been detained," said Senior Superintendent Kukuh Prabowo, Head of the Law Enforcement Sub-Directorate of the Water Unit Directorate of INP in Jakarta on Wednesday (9/30/2026).
Kukuh stated that AY is currently being held in the South Kalimantan Regional Police detention cell.
In this case, AY was charged under Article 302 paragraph (3) of Law Number 17 of 2008 concerning Shipping and/or Article 474 paragraph (3) in conjunction with Article 20 of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code (KUHP).
Kukuh has not yet detailed the alleged criminal acts that formed the basis for AY's suspect status. He stated that investigators are still conducting an investigation to uncover the possibility of other parties being involved in the incident.
"An official release will await the completion of the complete investigation," he said.
KM Virgo Transport 8 was previously reported missing in Masalembo waters, Java Sea, on Sunday (9/13/2026) at around 2:00 a.m. The ship departed from Surabaya for Banjarmasin on Saturday (9/12/2026) with 243 passengers on board.
The handling of the shipwreck case was then transferred from the South Kalimantan Regional Police to the INP Water Unit Directorate.
The Head of the INP Public Relations Division, Inspector General Johnny Eddizon Isir, stated that the transfer was part of the ongoing case-handling process, which had been carried out professionally with various stakeholders from the beginning.
According to him, the police had previously conducted investigations and in-depth investigations of the parties involved in the sinking of the KM Virgo Transport 8.
Those questioned included the captain, the surviving crew members, and other relevant parties.
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