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Bakamla seizes Iranian tanker over illicit oil transfer
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.
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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.
Bakamla, with the help of other authorities, has pledged to strengthen patrols in Indonesian waters, saying it has to be “firm” and provide a “deterrent” against future violations.
"I hope this gets to court, whatever the [crime] is, [to create] a deterrent effect, so it doesn't happen again in our waters," Aan said.
Reuters reported that authorities detained MT Arman’s Egyptian captain and its 28 crew, as well as 3 passengers, who were the family of a security officer on board.
The Tinos, meanwhile, was supposed to have been scrapped in 2018, Reuters reported. It was built in 1999 while the Arman was built in 1997, according to shipping database Equasis.
In 2021, Indonesia seized Iranian- and Panamanian-flagged vessels over similar accusations. The captains of the two vessels received two-year probation from an Indonesian court.
A "shadow" fleet of tankers carrying oil from sanctioned Iran, Russia and Venezuela has been transferring cargoes in the Singapore Strait to avoid detection, a Reuters analysis showed this year.
The risk of oil spills and accidents is growing as hundreds of extra ships, some without insurance cover, have joined the opaque parallel trade over the past few years.
