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Bakamla seizes Iranian-flagged tanker on suspicion of illegal oil transshipment
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The Iranian-flagged supertanker MT Arman 114 and the Cameroon-flagged MT S Tinos allegedly conduct a ship-to-ship oil transfer without a permit in Indonesian waters near the North Natuna Sea on July 7, 2023, in this photo released by the Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) on July 11, 2023. (Reuters/Handout)
T
he Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) announced on Tuesday that it had seized an Iranian-flagged supertanker suspected of being involved in the illicit transshipment of crude oil in Indonesian waters.
The vessel, called MT Arman 114, was found carrying 272,569 tonnes of light crude oil, worth some Rp 4.6 trillion (US$303.1 million), and was believed to have been transferring the oil to another ship without a permit, an official said.
Bakamla chief Aan Kurnia said on Tuesday that the vessel had been captured on Friday after being spotted near the North Natuna Sea in the act of transferring the oil to the Cameroon-flagged MT S Tinos.
The two very large crude carriers (VLCCs) allegedly tried to escape Bakamla authorities, who in their pursuit focused on the Iranian-flagged vessel, assisted by Malaysian authorities, as the MT Arman fled into Malaysian waters, Aan said in a live-streamed press conference.
"There were 29 onboard the ship [...] We are still investigating their origins. Most of them are Iranians, along with Egypt nationals. This is why we will involve immigration [officials], the Foreign Ministry and all [related agencies]," Aan said.
MT Arman was also suspected of violating other maritime regulations, such as manipulating automatic identification system (AIS) data and waste disposal information, Aan added.
“MT Arman falsified its AIS to show that its position was in the Red Sea, but in reality it was here. So it seems they already had bad intentions,” Aan said.
