Indonesian Navy Seizes Oil Tanker Wanted In Cambodia

Indonesia's navy said Wednesday that it seized an oil tanker that was wanted by Cambodian authorities on suspicion of stealing nearly 300,000 barrels of crude oil, Edna Tarigan reported for the Associated Press (AP.)

Photo Insert: Indonesian Navy vessels on patrol

The Bahamas-flagged tanker MT Strovolos was detained in waters off Indonesia's Riau Islands in late July, the navy said in a statement. The captain and 18 other crew members — made up of Bangladeshi, Indian, and Myanmar nationals — were also detained.

After they were detained, the crew members were sent to quarantine before their case was processed by investigators, the navy said.

The captain of the tanker, a Bangladesh national, is suspected of anchoring in Indonesian territory without permission and faces up to one year in prison and a maximum fine of 200 million rupiahs ($13,900) if found guilty.

When it was seized, the tanker had about 298,000 barrels of oil on board, the statement said.

Indonesian authorities In January seized an Iranian-flagged tanker and a Panamanian-flagged tanker on suspicion of illegally transferring oil in Indonesian waters. They were released after four-month detention.

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