The Indonesian navy said Wednesday that it had seized an oil tanker and its crew accused of stealing nearly 300,000 barrels of crude oil from Cambodia's reserves.
The Bahamas-flagged MT Strovolos was seized on July 27 off the coast of Sumatra, days after Phnom Penh issued a red alert to Interpol to seize the ship, they said. This, claiming that the ship stole Cambodia's crude oil.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian navy said it was interrogating 13 Indian, three Bangladeshi and three Myanmar sailors at its base near Singapore.
The navy says the 183-meter-long oil tanker en route from Thailand to the Indonesian island of Batam has shut down its identification system and illegally anchored in the archipelago's waters.
They added that the Bangladeshi captain could face up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $ 14,000 if convicted of trespassing.
The first naval commander, Arsyad Abdullah, said in a statement that the Indonesian navy would not hesitate to take action against any crime committed within Indonesian jurisdiction.
Authorities say the tanker was leased by Singapore's KrisEnergy to be part of a recent Cambodian bid for its own oil.
They added that the company could not repay its debts and filed for bankruptcy in June, but still owed the crew money.
Meanwhile, Chiep Sour, director general of the General Department of Petroleum and spokesman for the Cambodian Ministry of Mines and Energy, told AFP: "The company has reported to our government that the tanker has stolen oil and has oil. "About 290,000 barrels of crude on board."
"But the tanker said KrisEnergy owed them money and the two countries were working on plans to send oil back to Cambodia," he added.
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