View of the shipyards, seen through a window, in Batam, Indonesia, April 3, 2019. REUTERS / Henning Gloystein / Stock Photo
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- The Navy stops a tanker truck anchored in eastern Singapore
- The incident comes after a dozen similar arrests last year
- More tankers anchored in Singapore due to COVID delays
SINGAPORE, June 9 (Reuters) – Indonesian naval officials have demanded $ 375,000 to release a fuel tanker truck they detained last week for illegally anchoring in Indonesian waters off Singapore, two people involved in the talks said on unofficial payment.
The incident comes after Reuters reported a dozen similar arrests last year. In these cases, the shipowners made unofficial payments of about $ 300,000 each and the ships detained by the Indonesian navy east of Singapore were released. Read more
On May 30, armed naval personnel boarded the North Joy Fuel Tanker Truck while anchored in Indonesian waters east of the Singapore Strait, one of the busiest waterways in the world, the two said. security sources.
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Asking for comments on whether naval officers had asked for $ 375,000 to release North Joy, Indonesian Navy spokesman Julius Widjojono said, “It is strictly forbidden.” He did not respond to requests for further details.
He confirmed that naval personnel had detained North Joy on suspicion of anchoring in Indonesian waters without permission, violating Indonesia’s right-of-way 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 sentence of one year in prison for the captain of a ship and a fine of Rs 200 crore ($ 13,840), Widjojono said.
The Indonesian navy said in November that there had been an increase in the number of arrests for anchoring without a permit, deviating from the navigation route or stopping halfway for an irrational time.
The ships were released due to insufficient evidence or the cases were processed through Indonesian courts and no payments were made to the Navy or its personnel, the Navy said.
Map of oil tankers and oil tankers sailing or anchoring near Singapore
BATAM NAVAL BASE
The Nord Joy is a Panamanian flagship of 183 meters (200 yards) in length and can carry up to 350,000 barrels of fuel. Reuters has been unable to determine who owns the boat.
Synergy Group, the Singapore-based company that manages Nord Joy, did not respond to questions about the Navy’s alleged request for unofficial payment from Navy personnel.
Synergy told Reuters in a statement that Nord Joy anchored in a position thought to be off Indonesian territorial waters on May 26 and on May 30, the Indonesian navy boarded the ship al. legating that it was within its territory.
Synergy said it was working with the Navy, lawyers and local agents to resolve the issue.
North Joy was escorted by naval vessels to a berth near Batam, an island 20 miles (32 km) south of Singapore that hosts a naval base, the two sources told Reuters.
The captain of the tanker truck was taken to the base and naval officers told him to arrange for the payment of $ 375,000 or potentially face months of loss of income if the case went through the courts, sources said. .
The cost of renting a tanker truck of refined products the size of North Joy from Singapore to China fluctuates regularly. It peaked at $ 1.12 million a day on May 9 and was $ 820,000 on June 8, according to Simpson broker Spence Young.
The ships have been anchored for years in waters east of the Singapore Strait while waiting to dock, believing they are in international waters and therefore not responsible for any port charges, said maritime analysts.
The Indonesian navy has said publicly in recent years that much of this area is in its waters and that it intended to crack down on ships anchored there without a license.
($ 1 = Rs 14,454.0000)
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Report by Joe Brock; Graphics by Gavin Maguire; Edited by David Clarke
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