Jakarta, Sept. 13 (SANA)Indonesian search and rescue authorities launched a search operation Sunday after losing contact with a passenger vessel carrying 243 people in theJava Seaamid bad weather, officials said.The vessel, Virgo Transport 8, departed Saturday from Surabaya in East Java and was heading to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan when communication was lost, Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said in a statement cited by Reuters.Rescue teams were sent to the vessel’s last known location as authorities worked to determine its status.Indonesia, a vast archipelago of about 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries as a key mode of transportation, with sea travel often more affordable and accessible than air transport.However, safety standards are not always consistently enforced, contributing to a relatively high number of maritime accidents in the country.