China’s President Demands Action After Shipyard Fire Kills 25 Workers

Smoke seen billowing from th bulker under going repairs at the Chinese shipyard (Chinese TV)

Published Sep 10, 2026 1:11 PM by The Maritime Executive

A large fire broke out on a dry bulk carrier undergoing repairs in a Chinese shipyard, resulting in the death of 25 workers and injuring five others who were taken to a hospital. The fire, which is being reported as one of China’s worst industrial incidents, drew the personal attention of President Xi Jinping, who called for an investigation to hold those responsible for the deaths accountable.

Chinese state media reported the fire started at approximately 11:15 a.m. local time on September 10 at the Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding yard, part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). Residents told Chinese media that they “did not hear an explosion or smell anything,” but suddenly saw smoke billowing from the yard.

The fire started aboard the Chinese-owned dry bulk carrier Ocean Melody. AIS signals show the 55,742-dwt bulker arrived in Qingdao on August 31 and was undergoing maintenance. They are reporting that there were 42 workers aboard the ship when the fire began. Images show the bulker in a dry dock at the yard.

 

UPDATE: Rescue efforts at the scene of the cargo ship fire in Qingdao, China. 25 people have died in a fire aboard a foreign-flagged cargo ship undergoing repairs at Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding.
Video cr. CCTV https://t.co/yWjNTSW59X pic.twitter.com/MfwUrBckaQ

— Shanghai Daily (@shanghaidaily) September 10, 2026

 

State media reports that 12 workers were evacuated from the ship without injuries, while five others were taken to the hospital for their injuries. Initial reports said that five people were missing and that 20 deceased shipyard workers had been recovered. Later reports at around 7:15 p.m. said a search after the fire was extinguished recovered five additional bodies, bringing the death toll to 25. They said everyone was now accounted for among the people who had been on the ship.

The fire reportedly burned for nearly three hours aboard the bulker, which was built in 2006 and is registered in Liberia. It was acquired by a Chinese company in 2025. The vessel was reported to be 190 meters (623 feet) in length and sustained significant damage. No cause of the fire has been reported.

President Xi said the authorities must act promptly to determine the cause and hold those responsible accountable. He urged all regions and relevant departments to learn from the fire and to rectify all types of fire hazards.

 

World's Largest Electric Vessel is Set to Begin Service on Rio de la Plata

The China Zorrilla loaded aboard Black Marlin off Tasmania, July 2026 (Incat press handout image)

Published Sep 13, 2026 9:48 PM by The Maritime Executive

The heavy-lift ship Black Marlin has successfully delivered the world's largest electric ferry, the China Zorrilla. The Australian-made vessel is the world's largest electric vehicle of any kind, and it will operate on a 30-nautical-mile run across the Rio de la Plata between Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

China Zorrilla is an aluminum fast-ferry design constructed at the Incat yard in Tasmania. Capable of carrying up to 225 vehicles and 2,100 passengers, it is physically larger and has a larger battery bank than any other battery-electric vessel. It was loaded out on Boskalis' Black Marlin in July for the 40-day eastbound journey to the Rio de la Plata. The ship and its ship-cargo then transited the Pacific and the Strait of Magellan to reach the Atlantic. On arrival at Nueva Palmira, Uruguay, Black Marlin waited for favorable weather, then ballasted down far enough to float the ferry off its deck, reversing the procedure used in Tasmania for loading. 

"Hull 096 [China Zorrilla] has been the biggest and most ambitious project in our company’s history," said Incat Chairman Robert Clifford in a statement. "Thousands of people have played a part in bringing this remarkable vessel to life, and they should all be incredibly proud of what has been accomplished."

Incat is now engaged in building a series of three 129-meter electric ferries for Denmark's Molslinjen - the largest ferry electrification program (across multiple vessels) in the world. The new vessels will operate in the Kattegat, a high-profile assignment. 

"China" Zorrilla (originally Concepción Matilde Zorrilla) was a locally-famous actress who made her name in the Uruguayan and Argentinian theater scenes, appearing in countless plays, movies and television shows from the 1950s up through at least 2007. She passed away in 2014.

  

Houthis Being Pushed Back from Bab el-Mandeb

After overrunning the area around the critical sea lane, the Houthi forces are being pushed back in heavy fighting (NASA)

Published Sep 14, 2026 9:54 AM by The Maritime Executive

The Houthis appear to have overextended themselves in their rapid advance in SW Yemen, which saw them capture the Ras Menhali peninsula and Perim Island just offshore in the Bab el-Mandeb.

The Houthis were able to advance so quickly down the coastal strip and the Tihama plain for evidently two reasons. They had good intelligence on the disunity within the forces of the Internationally Recognized Government (IRG), which they were able to exploit. It is now apparent that the unity within the IRG had not improved to the extent portrayed, and the Houthis were able to exploit divisions between the semi-autonomous force components, which the IRG had not welded into a sufficiently combined force. The Houthis were also able to exploit the lack of any meaningful threat from the air as they advanced across the open country of the Tihama plain.

 

Battle still fluid, latest indications of positions held in SW Yemen, as of September 14
(Google Earth/CJRC)

 

The balance of advantage is now shifting, and the Houthi force in the newly occupied areas – mostly light infantry - is exposed. It is dangerously dependent on a single supply line to the north, the N2 coastal highway, which is straight, flat, and completely exposed. Houthi movements on the N2 are now being attacked from the air, with civilians having been warned that any movement on the road will be considered to be a legitimate military target. The air attacks are supposedly being carried out by the IRG, although the Yemeni Air Force of late has been presumed to be moribund. Most probably the Royal Saudi Air Force has now become engaged, heavily so, and a large-scale Houthi missile attack on the Saudi airbase at Khamis Mushayt on the morning of September 13 was presumably designed to inhibit such attacks.

Being a largely pick-up and motor bike mounted light infantry force, the Houthis in the area are also now exposed to the much better equipped forces of the IRG moving up from Lahj, the neighboring province, where units are still in good order. Southern Giants Forces, displaying the flags of the erstwhile South Yemen, have been seen in coverage of attacks being mounted on the road towards Dhubab, and there have noticeably been no indication of a continuing Houthi presence on Perim or at the Ras Menhali port across the water. 

 

Traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb is continuing, but appears to be somewhat reduced based on AIS feeds visible early on September 14 (VesselFinder)

The tactical situation remains highly fluid, and the Houthi forward forces are exposed if the IRG can mount an effective counter-attack. It is feasible that by the end of the week the situation will have been reversed and the IRG could be back in Mocha. But the forces of the IRG have lost units and some sophisticated equipment in their earlier retreat, including modern radar systems, advanced surveillance cameras, coastal artillery, medium-range weapons, and anti-tank missile systems, some of which the Houthis will turn against the IRG.

Having temporarily seized control over Perim and the coast overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb, the Houthis attempted to exploit this politically by approaching the Egyptians to coordinate a joint approach to sea traffic in the Red Sea. The Egyptians did not reply to the Houthi messaging, making it clear that they recognize the authority of the IRG and would not enter into any form of discussion with an illegitimate authority. Whereas General Tareq Saleh bemoaned the lack of close support as he fell back during the original Houthi assault, belatedly, this support is now forthcoming as the threat to international shipping is now appreciated.

Key Saudi Pipeline Could Be Slowed for Weeks, Affecting Global Oil Trade

Saudi Aramco's loading berths at Yanbu, a giant pipeline-supplied terminal on the Red Sea (Maxar / Airbus / Google)

Published Sep 14, 2026 6:36 PM by The Maritime Executive

Recent attacks on Saudi Aramco's East-West Pipeline have raised concerns in the oil market about the continued availability of cargoes. The concern appears to be justified: officials familiar with the damage assessment believe that it will take 3-5 weeks for pipeline flow to be fully restored, according to the AP. Given the size of the oil supply in storage sites to seaward of the pipeline damage, Aramco's Red Sea stockpiles could run low and its export loadings could begin to slow by the end of the week. 

The most significant impact of the pipeline attack was the destruction of a large pumping station, which is needed to maintain pressures and flow rates over the 750-mile length of the line. The station was thoroughly destroyed in the attack, officials say. Satellite imaging shows construction under way on a bypass line around the pumping station, which may allow operations to resume at a lower rate while repairs are under way. Officials told AP that they were not certain just how much oil the line would be able to move without the station to boost pressure. 

Saudi Red Sea loading terminals, which have lately accounted for about four percent of the total global oil supply, will be closely watched in the week ahead. Benchmark Brent crude settled at $106 on Monday, reflecting expectations of a tight market in months to come. 

As predicted by many analysts, a Saudi official confirmed to Bloomberg on Monday that Saudi Aramco's efforts to ship oil through the contested Strait of Hormuz would be increased in order to offset the impact of the pipeline shutdown, despite the risk of Iranian attack in the narrow waterway. Hormuz flows have ticked radically upward over the past week on the back of increased "shuttle tanker" activity between the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Increased Saudi activity on this route would help offset any impact from a slowdown at Yanbu. 

 

Oman's Strait of Hormuz Conference Implodes

The Strait of Hormuz and Oman's Musandam Peninsula (center) (NASA)

Published Sep 14, 2026 3:37 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Omanis have cancelled a regional conference which they had called for Monday in Salalah, to which all GCC members plus Iraq had been invited. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the Fars News Agency that the business of the meeting in Oman was to have been the joint presentation of a new maritime transit corridor in the Strait of Hormuz, over which Oman and Iran have come to a draft agreement.

Oman and Iran have been negotiating for months to try and reconcile differences over future arrangements for navigation in the Strait. Oman insisted that it wished to retain freedom of navigation and the right of innocent passage, as found in the IMO-endorsed arrangement that has been in place since 1968. Iran has been holding out to charge passage fees and to have the right to vet the traffic using the Strait. In the run-up to the conference, Omani leader Sultan Haitham bin Tariq and Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi have been keeping fellow GCC members up to date with progress, and also expressed confidence privately that the proposals met with approval from the United States.

Separate from the technical arrangements within the Strait itself, Iran is reported to have laid down seven pre-conditions which the United States would have been required to meet before the agreement could come into force, based around its interpretation of the terms of the June 17 US-Iranian Memorandum of Understanding. Most of the concerns that the other GCC states might have about the new arrangements are likely to have been covered by these pre-condition requirements, rather than the technical content of the deal which Oman has hammered out with Iran over navigation in the Strait.

Bahrain is known to have refused to attend if Iran’s representatives would be there, since Iran has attacked it with ballistic missiles and drones. Bahrain normally aligns its foreign policy closely with that of Saudi Arabia, and Riyadh is believed to have objected to some of the technical arrangements proposed for the new Strait transit plan.

The UAE has not announced that it has refused to attend, but could be expected to have a similar, more robust version of Bahrain’s viewpoint. A well-connected Emirati social media blogger, probably reflecting the official view, chose this particular moment to obliquely criticize Oman’s “never stop negotiating philosophy.” The commentator suggested that diplomacy in foreign policy needed to be matched by deterrence, involving judgement when firmness and robustness in defense of sovereignty and national interest was necessary.

If nothing else, the postponement of the conference has revealed the split between the interests of the United States, which seeks to end the war just with some restitution of controls over Iran’s nuclear weapons capability, and those of the Gulf states, whose economies and national well-being are threatened by Iranian expansionism, drone and missile strikes and restrictions on trade flows in the Strait of Hormuz. As their refusal to attend the Salalah conference shows, the Gulf States have not given in to Iranian pressure, seeking to build alternatives to the current restrictions on use of the Strait of Hormuz, rather than surrender, concede a permanent advantage or accept Iranian regional dominance hereafter.

Little is likely to change for mariners in the Strait of Hormuz in the near future, save that Iran is likely to increase its attacks on shipping, on US regional bases and on GCC infrastructure, as part of its campaign to end the US naval blockade. A lifting of the US blockade is essential for the survival of the IRGC-dominated regime, as it deprives Iran of the money it needs to maintain its grip on power.

Oman Conducts SAR as US and Iran Argue Over Circumstances of Tanker Attack

Crew evacuating the product tanker El Gaia (Omani Maritime Security Center)

Published Sep 15, 2026 12:44 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Omani Maritime Security Center confirmed on Tuesday, September 15, that it has undertaken a search and rescue effort for the crew of a Panama-flagged product tanker, while saying that two seafarers are missing. Iran is asserting the tanker struck a mine in the Strait of Hormuz, while US Central Command claims a stationary, previously disabled ship was attacked for a second time and hit by a drone.

The product tanker El Gaia was off the Omani coast when it was struck, but there is even disagreement over the timing of the attack. UK Maritime Trade Operations is timing it either to late on September 12 or early on September 13, saying there was a distress call followed by reports of a fire in the engine room and an evacuation. Built in 2005, the 48,000-dwt product tanker was registered in Panama and managed from the UAE.

The Omanis reported the incident on Tuesday and did not indicate when they evacuated the crew. They said 23 crewmembers had been taken from the vessel and received medical attention. The report said two crewmembers remained missing and that the disabled vessel was being towed to an Omani port.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs condemned the attack on Sunday. It said there were 14 Indian crewmembers, and one was missing.

Iran’s IRGC Navy issued a statement on Monday claiming the tanker had been attempting to “traverse a restricted zone south of the Strait of Hormuz.” The IRGC Navy called the maritime lane the vessel was using “hazardous“ and "illegal" and said the result was that the vessel struck sea mines. 

 

Oman and UKMTO report an engine room fire after the vessel was struck (Omani Maritime Security Center)

 

It claimed the firefighting efforts were “unsuccessful, leaving the entire tanker engulfed in flames.”  The Omanis, however, said the fire in the engine room had been extinguished after the attack.

CENTCOM issued another of its so-called Fact Checks, refuting the Iranian account and calling it another example of “their lies and intimidation attempts while they try to impede commercial vessels in the strait.” In CENTCOM’s version of the events, the El Gaia was struck by an Iranian missile last month and rendered inoperable. It claimed the ship was attacked a second time while it “sat in the waters of the coast of Oman.”

Martin Kelly, Head of Advisory at EOS Risk Group, described the events, saying he was “dubious at best” of the accounts and calling Iran’s version “scaremongering.” He writes, “Iran has fabricated several similar stories over the past month. Iran's kinetic activities are not sufficient to stop shipping from transiting via the Omani route …. Iran is using misinformation as a non-kinetic fire to achieve the same effect, that is, attempting to deter shipping from transiting the Strait of Hormuz via Oman, by scaremongering shipping into believing mines are present.”

The United States has asserted on several occasions that it cleared all the mines from the Strait of Hormuz. It recently reported attacks it said were to stop Iran’s efforts to release new mines into the waterway. 

Observers cannot agree on how many ships are actually making the transit while the US asserts the waterway is open and vessels are sailing with U.S. protection. Most vessels appear to be making the transit “dark,” leading to reports that only a few vessel transits can be confirmed from AIS transmissions. 

 

As Gulf Crisis Continues, Biofouling Risks Multiply for Ships at Anchor

Vessels at anchor on the east and west sides of the Strait of Hormuz, September 14 (Courtesy Pole Star Global)

Published Sep 14, 2026 7:24 PM by The Maritime Executive

Maritime operators are navigating an unusually volatile Gulf shipping market, with months of disruption and uncertainty leaving large numbers of vessels anchored for extended periods across the Arabian Gulf. AIS data gathered by MarineTraffic and reported by Weathernews put the number of stranded vessels at 958 as of mid-June 2026, with 63% idle for 100 days or more – a glimpse into a crisis that has continued to evolve since.   

Whatever happens next in the Gulf, months of inactivity have already left their mark below the waterline. Prolonged idling changes hull conditions in ways that carry operational, environmental, and biosecurity consequences long after a vessel resumes trading.

What starts growing the moment a vessel idles

Marine growth starts within minutes of a hull meeting seawater as a conditioning film of organic molecules and microorganisms form on the surface. A slime layer of bacteria, algae and diatoms follows. Over the following weeks or months, larger organisms such as barnacles, mussels, tubeworms, sea squirts and seaweed can begin to colonize the surface. When left unchecked, these organisms multiply quickly, adding roughness and drag to a hull built to move through water.

These changes matter to a vessel’s bottom line – slower speeds, heavier engine loads, and higher fuel bills, along with the emissions that come with burning more fuel for the same performance. Jotun’s 2025 survey of 1,000 shipowners and operators found 50.4% of respondents had already experienced higher fuel consumption and lower operational efficiency as a result of poor biofouling management. This reflects ordinary trading patterns, and not the extended idling many vessels in the Gulf have now endured.

An ideal breeding ground

Several conditions in the Arabian Gulf make it an ideal breeding ground for biofouling. Warm water year-round speeds up the growth cycle for algae, barnacles and other fouling organisms. Busy ports, heavy industry, and coastal runoff boost nutrients in the water, giving marine growth plenty to feed on. Vessels unable to depart, waiting for cargo, instructions, security or berth space have sat still for prolonged periods, giving these organisms ample opportunity to settle on hulls. Prolonged inactivity can also reduce the effectiveness of some antifouling systems, particularly where a vessel is operating well outside the profile for which its coating was selected. Even the Gulf’s high salinity, which inhibits some species, does little to slow down the organisms that cause the most damage.

When fouling becomes a compliance issue

Fouled hulls can carry invasive species across borders, introducing non-native organisms into vulnerable ecosystems. As a result, a growing number of countries have responded by writing biofouling controls into law. Jotun's 2025 survey found that 41% of respondents faced regulatory penalties linked to biofouling, and 38% had been denied port access because of non-compliance. Forty-nine per cent reported they now bypass ports with stringent biofouling requirements altogether, an increasingly unsustainable strategy as more jurisdictions tighten their rules.

Under Australia’s Biosecurity Act 2015 and its biofouling management requirements, vessel operators can demonstrate proactive management in one of three ways: cleaning all biofouling within 30 days prior to arrival; implementing an effective Biofouling Management Plan and Record Book; or using an alternative biofouling management method pre-approved by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. New Zealand works similarly, requiring arriving vessels to provide evidence that biofouling has been appropriately managed under its Craft Risk Management Standard, assessing vessels against risk-based clean hull thresholds and requiring a Biosecurity Pre-Arrival Report – non-compliance can mean a Notice of Direction, mandatory cleaning, or being turned away.

The rules extend beyond the Asia Pacific. The California Code of Regulations requires vessels of 300 GT or larger to keep a Biofouling Management Plan and Record Book and file an Annual Vessel Reporting Form – vessels idle for more than 45 days are flagged for extra scrutiny. Brazil’s NORMAM-401, introduced in 2025 and with enforcement of the new biofouling provisions beginning in June 2026, is a hybrid of Australian, New Zealand and Californian approaches that permits only microfouling or slime under an IMO Level 1 standard.

An overlooked security risk

Extended anchorage carries another risk – the possibility that a vessel, without its crew’s knowledge, is being used to move contraband. Vessels sitting at anchor for extended periods are easy to locate on public monitoring platforms, giving traffickers clear targets to plan around. As the underwater areas would require cleaning, divers carrying out cush work can attach waterproofed, illegal packages to a vessel’s underwater cavities, such as sea chests and rudder trunks, while it sits in port at the point of departure. Because these compartments are beyond the areas vessel crew would routinely check, the cargo can travel undetected. A second team of divers will then retrieve the contraband once the vessel reaches its destination, bypassing security and border checkpoints entirely.

This technique has been used to move illicit cargo through ports on multiple continents. Law enforcement agencies across several countries have documented similar cases, pointing to how organized crime groups have routinely relied on vessels for this sort of smuggling.

What operators should check before returning to service

For vessels held up for months, hull fouling deserves an early look whenever speed declines, fuel use or engine loading rises, or voyage efficiency deteriorates. Diver surveys and ROV inspections are the most reliable ways to evaluate how much growth has accumulated and whether cleaning or other remedial work is needed before a vessel resumes service.

Regular underwater inspections and tighter security procedures before a vessel resumes trading address these concerns, since the same survey that checks for fouling can just as easily verify that nothing else has been attached.  

What comes next

The prolonged delays experienced by vessels in the Arabian Gulf may have consequences that extend well beyond schedule disruption. Months at anchor in a fouling-prone environment lead to higher fuel costs, added maintenance, and compliance exposure in ports that now scrutinize hull conditions more closely, alongside biosecurity and security risks already mentioned.  

Ship managers, owners, operators, and charterers with vessels that have sat idle for extended periods should treat a hull inspection as a condition of returning to service and confirm biosecurity requirements at the next port of call well before arrival. Taking these steps can minimize operational disruptions, protect marine ecosystems, and safeguard commercial performance.

Appropriate security measures must be enforced while the underwater cleaning for compliance is being carried out to ensure no contraband is attached to the vessel.

Capt. Harshvardhan Kumar is Director of Marine Technical Services at Charles Taylor.

Top image courtesy Pole Star Global. 

 

Video: Bow Section Removed from the Wreck of MSC Baltic III

Bow section of the wreck tumbled away and was then pulled toward shore for recycling (Canadian Coast Guard)

Published Sep 14, 2026 9:44 AM by The Maritime Executive

The salvage team working to remove the wreck of the containership MSC Baltic III from the shore of Newfoundland, Canada, captured in a dramatic video as the bow section was separated from the hull. It is the first section of the hull to be broken apart after the work had stripped away the upper portions of the vessel.

The containership was 207 meters (679 feet) in length before the dismantling operation began. There was no indication from the Canadian Coast Guard of how long the section that was severed was, but they reported that 5,700 tonnes, close to 50 percent of the vessel’s total tonnage, have now been removed. The prior update days earlier said 4,200 tonnes, approximately 40 percent of the vessel’s total tonnage, had been removed.

The forward section appears to have been separated with charges, based on the sound on the video. The Coast Guard reports it was then pulled forward onto the shore, where it will be cut into smaller pieces and removed for recycling. The sections of the ship are being taken to a recycling facility on Newfoundland using barges or trucks.

 

 

The containership blacked out in February 2025 and was driven ashore during a winter storm. The crew was evacuated by Canadian forces, but the vessel was stranded in a remote cove west of Corner Brook, Newfoundland. The salvage operation in 2025 focused on removing the cargo, fuel, and potential pollutants from the vessel. The second phase of salvage, focusing on removing the ship, began this spring.

The Canadian Coast Guard said last week that the chain pulls had moved the hull forward approximately 53 meters (more than 170 feet) toward the shoreline. The pulling operation is continuing during high tides for the added buoyancy on the remnants of the hull.

Resolve Marine is undertaking the salvage operation, and when they described it, they said the hull would be split into sections and pulled onto the shore for dismantling. The hatch covers, deck machinery, cranes, and deckhouse with the bridge were the first sections to be removed. Based on the pictures, it also appears that the machinery has all been removed.

A scrap pad was completed on the shoreline in the last month to support the shoreline crane. It will be used in the next phase of the lightering operations. Earlier pictures showed a barge with a crane alongside, removing upper sections of the hull.

Resolve Marine reported the operation will continue until winter weather overtakes the region of Canada. They expect the operation will continue into 2027, as after the hull is removed, they will also be doing restoration efforts on the shoreline.

 

Philippine Coast Guard Orders Salvage Operation After Fatal Ferry Fire

PCG servicemembers search through rows of low-mounted, double-level bunk racks on the top deck of the June Aster (PCG)

Published Sep 14, 2026 4:19 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Philippine Coast Guard has completed its search of all passenger spaces aboard the burned-out ro/ro ferry June Aster, which caught fire off Palawan last Wednesday and subsequently ran aground. PCG responders have now fully searched the bridge, crew accommodation, economy passenger berthing and air-conditioned passenger accommodation areas, and are about two-thirds of the way through the cargo decks.

So far, a total of 76 bodies have been recovered. Escaping passengers awaking to the smoke and fire would have encountered rows of densely-packed, double-height bunk racks on the top deck and interior, photos provided by the PCG show. 

"These areas have been 100% penetrated by our response teams. A secondary sweep will be conducted to ensure the recovery of any remaining evidence and other materials relevant to the ongoing investigation," PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said in a statement.

A body (blurred, left) is visible in this image of June Aster's passenger berthing. Upright pillars show signs of deformation from the fire (PCG)

The PCG has issued a letter of demand to the shipowner with instructions to appoint a qualified salvor in short order. The ship is aground, its hull integrity is in unknown condition, and it is taking on small amounts of water in the engine room. The PCG has been dewatering oily waste out of the compartment and storing it in containers, but it wants to conduct the ordinary transfer of responsibility for pollution-abatement and salvage to a qualified private contractor.

Damage to the vessel is extensive, and its structural integrity would need to be evaluated. Photos of the interior show that the fire swept through the car deck with intensity, burning off paint and leaving only steel and charred debris behind. Videos obtained by first responders on the night of the fire showed sections of the hull heated to such an intensity that areas glowed dully red, indicating steel temperatures in excess of 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit - consistent with the combustion temperature of burning cars. Steel heated to that temperature can warp and deform; depending upon the circumstances, key physical properties may also be altered by the heating and cooling process, according to DNV, creating an additional factor for salvage planning. 

 

Rough Weather Hampers Search for Survivors From Lost Indonesian Ferry

Virgo Transport 8 remained afloat for some time after capsizing (Courtesy Basarnas)

Published Sep 14, 2026 10:45 PM by The Maritime Executive

Rough surface conditions have disrupted the ongoing operation to look for survivors of the ferry Virgo Transport 8, which capsized on Sunday and gradually sank. The wreck lies in 30 meters of water in the middle of the Java Sea, south of Borneo. 

A total of 108 survivors from the wreck have been rescued out of 243 who were aboard at departure. 129 people remain missing, according to Indonesian coast guard agency Basarnas. Search operations continue at massive scale: fully 17 vessels, 10 aircraft and more than 1,000 personnel are involved in scouring the area. 

Dive search operations at the wreck have yet to begin because of rough weather conditions on scene. Wave heights are running in the range of eight feet, prohibitive for diving. The water depth is well within the capabilities of salvage and rescue divers, but the wreck's position on the seafloor is currently unstable, Basarnas commanding officer Mohammad Syafii told Reuters. The ship was afloat upside-down after the initial casualty, and it came to rest on the bottom in the same position - creating a risk that it might shift or topple over. The Indonesian Navy will have a salvage vessel with an ROV on board to support initial search operations without risk to human divers. 

The rough weather has also had an impact on the transfer and transport operation for survivors. 22 people who were rescued by a wooden fishing vessel, the Cahaya Bahari, have been delayed in their return to port because of the difficulty in conducting ship-to-ship transfers, Syafii told Antara News. Higher-than-usual waves on the Java Sea have increased risk for routine salvage: two vessels collided during an attempted personnel transfer due to wave action, causing damage. A small boat had to be used to effect the transfer instead, slowing the operation down. After transfer from Cahaya Bahari to the receiving ship - the Indonesian Navy's corvette KRI Nala - the survivors then transferred one more time to the smaller vessel Kumai, which could enter the small port of Banjarmasin. 

Virgo Transport 8 likely capsized after it was hit by a large wave, authorities believe. Overloading was not likely a contributing factor, Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said at a press conference Monday. The vessel was rated for a capacity of 500 people and had less than half that number on board.