KM Virgo Owner Denies Alarm Failure, Leak Before Capsizing

PT Virgo Karya Shipping (VKS), owner of the KM Virgo Transport 8 vessel, has denied allegations that the ship's alarm system failed to work before it capsized, following a meeting with victims' families at Trisakti Port in Banjarmasin on Friday (18/9/2026). Company spokesperson Simson F Rigi told reporters that the ship's warning system functioned properly during the incident, noting that the captain had issued warnings and requested assistance by sending an emergency signal to Basarnas, Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency, before the vessel went down. He said the alarm sounds automatically once such a signal is transmitted, but acknowledged that passengers may not have heard it because parts of the ship sank faster than others amid chaotic conditions. Once the vessel fully sinks, he added, the engine cuts out. Simson also rejected claims that the ship had been leaking while at sea, citing company data showing the vessel was 98 percent fit to sail. He said there was no human error involved, arguing that a leaking ship could not have been righted afterward. Some family members at the meeting had directly questioned whether the alarm system had malfunctioned, saying this may have prevented passengers from evacuating in time. The company's statements come amid ongoing scrutiny of the vessel's condition and the circumstances surrounding its capsizing.