Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Exclusive: Indonesian navy officers ask for $375,000 to release tanker

Exclusive: Indonesian navy officers ask for $375,000 to release tanker

Indonesian naval officers have asked for $375,000 to release a fuel tanker they detained last week, accusing it of anchoring illegally in Indonesian waters off Singapore, two people involved in negotiations over the unofficial payment said.

The incident comes after Reuters reported a dozen similar detentions last year. In those cases, the ship owners made unofficial payments of about $300,000 each and the vessels detained by the Indonesian navy east of Singapore were released.

The Nord Joy fuel tanker was boarded by armed navy personnel on May 30 whilst anchored in Indonesian waters to the east of the Singapore Strait, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, the two security sources said.

Asked to comment on whether naval officers had asked for $375,000 to release the Nord Joy, Indonesian navy spokesman Julius Widjojono said it had conducted an investigation into the allegation and hadn't found "any indication" of such a request.

He said collecting unofficial payments to release vessels was: "strictly prohibited".

Widjojono confirmed navy personnel had detained the Nord Joy on suspicion of anchoring in Indonesian waters without a permit, violating Indonesian sea passage rights 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 penalty of one year in prison for the captain of a vessel and a 200 million rupiah ($13,840) fine, Widjojono said.

The Indonesian navy said in November that there had been an increase in the number of detentions for anchoring without permission, deviating from the sailing route or stopping mid-course for an unreasonable amount of time.

Vessels were either released due to insufficient evidence or the cases were processed through the Indonesian courts and no payments were made to the navy or its staff, the navy said.


Map of oil & product tankers sailing or anchored near Singapore

BATAM NAVAL BASE


The Nord Joy is a Panama-flagged vessel, 183 metres (200 yards) long and can carry up to 350,000 barrels of fuel. Reuters has been unable to determine who owns the vessel.

Synergy Group, the company based in Singapore that manages the Nord Joy, did not respond to questions about the alleged request by navy staff for an unofficial payment.

Synergy told Reuters in a statement that Nord Joy anchored in a position thought to be clear of Indonesian territorial waters on May 26 and on May 30, the Indonesian navy boarded the vessel, alleging it was within its territory.

Synergy said it was working with the navy, lawyers and local agents to resolve the issue.

The Nord Joy was escorted by navy ships to an anchorage near Batam, an island 20 miles (32 km) south of Singapore, which is home to a naval base, the two sources told Reuters.

The master of the tanker was taken onto the base and told by naval officers to arrange payment of $375,000 or potentially face months of lost income if the case went through the courts, the sources said.

This year, the average cost for chartering a refined product tanker the size of the Nord Joy was $30,000-$55,000 per day, according to Clarksons, a shipping data provider.


Lump sum charter rate for a fuel tanker from Singapore to China

Ships have for years anchored in waters to the east of the Singapore Strait while they wait to dock, believing they are in international waters and therefore not responsible for any port fees, maritime analysts said.

The Indonesian navy has said publicly in recent years that much of this area is within its waters and that it intended to crack down on vessels anchored there without a licence.

($1 = 14,454.0000 rupiah)

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Street justice isn’t pretty but how else do you deal with this kind of insanity? Sometimes someone needs to standup and say something
Armenia and Azerbaijan sign U.S.-brokered accord at White House outlining transit link via southern Armenia
Barcelona Resolves Captaincy Issue with Marc-André ter Stegen
US Justice Department Seeks Release of Epstein and Maxwell Grand Jury Exhibits Amid Legal and Victim Challenges
Spain Scraps F-35 Jet Deal as Trump Pushes for More NATO Spending
France Faces Largest Wildfire Since 1949 as Blazes Rage Across Aude
French Senate Report Alleges State Cover‑Up in Perrier ‘Natural Mineral Water’ Scandal
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Britain's Online Safety Law Sparks Outcry Over Privacy, Free Speech, and Mass Surveillance
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Grok 4 Video plus Voice, can identify wildlife!
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
The UK Does Not Have a ‘Far-Right’ Problem
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
JD Vance Warns Europe Faces “Civilizational Suicide” Over Open Borders and Speech Limits
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
×