JAKARTA (Reuters) – The coast guard of Indonesia announced on Tuesday that it has successfully captured an Iranian-flagged supertanker suspected of engaging in the illegal transshipment of crude oil. In response to this incident, the Indonesian coast guard has pledged to enhance its maritime patrols to combat such activities.
Earlier this year, a Reuters analysis revealed the existence of a “shadow” fleet of tankers transporting oil from nations under sanctions, such as Iran, Russia, and Venezuela. These tankers are believed to be transferring their cargoes in the Singapore Strait to avoid detection. Over the past few years, there has been a significant surge in the number of vessels involved in this obscure parallel trade, which poses a growing risk of oil spills and accidents.
The captured vessel, named MT Arman 114, is a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) that was carrying 272,569 metric tons of light crude oil. The value of the oil is estimated at 4.6 trillion rupiah ($304 million). The Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) suspects that MT Arman was involved in an unauthorized ship-to-ship oil transfer with a Cameroon-flagged vessel, MT S Tinos, near Indonesia’s North Natuna Sea.
“MT Arman was captured after being spotted conducting the ship-to-ship oil transfer with MT S Tinos. Both supertankers attempted to flee, but authorities focused their pursuit on MT Arman and received assistance from Malaysian authorities as the vessel entered Malaysian waters,” said Bakamla chief Aan Kurnia during a press conference.
Besides suspicion of illegal oil transshipment, MT Arman is also alleged to have violated other maritime regulations, including manipulating its automatic identification system (AIS). Aan Kurnia stated, “MT Arman was spoofing their AIS to show a false location in the Red Sea, but in reality, it was in our waters. This indicates malicious intent on their part.”
Aan Kurnia added that MT S Tinos was scheduled to be scrapped in 2018. However, the vessel remained operational and was involved in the illicit oil transfer. The operators of both vessels have not yet made any public statements regarding the incident.
To prevent similar occurrences in the future, Aan Kurnia assured the public that the Indonesian coast guard, in collaboration with other authorities, will strengthen patrols in its waters. It is worth noting that Indonesia, with its vast archipelago comprising approximately 17,000 islands, holds the distinction of being the world’s largest archipelagic state.
“We need to take a firm and tough approach. A deterrent effect must be established to prevent such incidents from recurring,” Aan Kurnia emphasized.
This is not the first time Indonesia has seized vessels implicated in similar illicit activities. In 2021, Indonesian authorities detained Iranian- and Panamanian-flagged vessels on similar grounds. The captains of both vessels were subsequently placed on a two-year probation by an Indonesian court.
($1 = 15,155.0000 rupiah)
(Reporting by Stefanno Sulaiman and Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by Martin Petty and Lincoln Feast)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
