The Virgo Transport 8 departed Surabaya in East Java on Saturday, bound for Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, before contact with the vessel was lost, according to a statement from Indonesia’s Search and Rescue Agency.

The agency said the ferry could not be contacted at the time of the statement, and its location remained unknown.

Rescue teams have begun a search operation, dispatching personnel to the vessel’s last known position to locate the ferry and assess its condition.

The incident occurred while the vessel was sailing through adverse weather conditions in the Java Sea.

Indonesia, an archipelago of around 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries as a primary means of transport. Sea travel is often more affordable and accessible than air travel, making maritime connections essential for travel between the country’s islands.