Indonesia detains Iranian-flagged tanker for suspected illegal oil transfer

By Necva Tastan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Indonesia on Tuesday seized an Iranian-flagged supertanker on suspicion of illegal oil transshipment, the head of the country’s Maritime Security Agency said.

Vice Admiral Aan Kurnia said that the tanker, named MT Arman 114, was detained in Batam, Riau Islands, according to the Jakarta-based Antara news agency.

Kurnia said that it manipulated the automatic identification system (AIS) while in Indonesian waters.

"This is something new ... the ship turns on its AIS and transmits its location in the Red Sea despite its actual location being within our EEZ (exclusive economic zone). It is a case of manipulation, a deception. It is also something new for us," he said at a news conference.

He noted that Indonesian regulations mandate ships sailing in the country's waters to activate their AIS for monitoring purposes.

The agency will investigate the incident and has the means to detect AIS manipulation by foreign ships, Kurnia added.