TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Navy officers ask for $375,000 to release tanker: Sources
Indonesian naval officers have asked the money to release a fuel tanker they detained last week for anchoring illegally in Indonesian waters off Singapore, two people involved in negotiations over the unofficial payment said.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
A view of shipyards, seen through a window, in Batam, Indonesia, April 3, 2019. (Reuters/Henning Gloystein)
I
ndonesian naval officers have asked for $375,000 to release a fuel tanker they detained last week for anchoring illegally in Indonesian waters off Singapore, two people involved in negotiations over the unofficial payment said.
The incident comes after Reuters reported a dozen similar detentions last year. In those cases, the ship owners made unofficial payments of about $300,000 each and the vessels detained by the Indonesian navy east of Singapore were released.
The Nord Joy fuel tanker was boarded by armed navy personnel on May 30 whilst anchored in Indonesian waters to the east of the Singapore Strait, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, the two security sources said.
Asked to comment on whether naval officers had asked for $375,000 to release the Nord Joy, Indonesian Navy spokesperson Rear Adm. Julius Widjojono said: "It is strictly prohibited." He did not respond to requests for further details.
He confirmed navy personnel had detained the Nord Joy on suspicion of anchoring in Indonesian waters without a permit, violating Indonesian sea passage rights and sailing without a national flag.
"The initial information is that (the case) is still in the initial investigation process at Batam naval base," he said.
Under Indonesian law, anchoring without a permit carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison for the captain of a vessel and a Rp 200 million ($13,840) fine, Julius said.
