Indonesia: Probe into violations by 2 vessels continues

By Erric Permana

JAKARTA (AA) - The Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) said on Friday that it will take seven more days to prove a series of violations committed by two international oil tankers in the country’s waters.

Last week, the Indonesian coast guard seized the Iranian-flagged MT Horse and the Panamanian-flagged MT Freya vessels over suspected illegal oil transfer in the waters off West Kalimantan province.

“We are collecting data of the case and will hand it over to law enforcement agencies for further investigation. However, we will release these tankers if we failed to secure evidence,” Bakamla spokesman Wisnu Pramandita told Anadolu Agency on Friday.

Pramandita admitted that the Indonesian Territorial Waters Law No 6 did not define the penalties for such violations.

Based on Article 24 of the law, the protection of sovereignty and the rule of law in Indonesian waters, as well as the penalties for violations, shall be carried out in accordance with international conventions and other existing laws.

Article 24 of the law is weak for such a violation in Indonesian waters, Pramandita added.

According to Bakamla, the crew members of the vessels – 25 Chinese nationals on MT Freya and 36 Iranian nationals on MT Horse – are facing a number of charges, including infringements of their right to innocent passage, illegal entry into Indonesian waters, turning off their identification systems, illegal transfer of fuel, illegal anchorage, polluting seawater with oil, and not hoisting their national flags on the vessels.