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Riau Islands News

30 Nov 2022

Venezuelan Oil Exports Flow Using False Documents, Ships Linked to Iran

When the supertanker Young Yong sailed to the Chinese port of Qingdao in September last year, it had quality certificates for its cargo stating it was transporting Malaysian crude oil, according to the documents reviewed by Reuters.But satellite images and photos show the Chinese-owned ship had loaded the oil four months earlier in Venezuela, an OPEC nation in South America under U.S. oil sanctions.The Young Yong is one of three vessels identified by Reuters that were chartered by little-known companies to export Venezuelan oil and used false documents to conceal its origin, according to shipping documents and 11 sources with knowledge of the trade.Two of those tankers, including the Young Yong, were designated this month by U.S.

10 Nov 2022

Sanctioned Oil Tanker Young Yong Heads to Nipah after Stranding in Indonesia

U.S.-sanctioned oil supertanker Young Yong is being towed to an anchorage area in Nipah, Indonesia, after the stranded tanker was successfully refloated, Commander of Indonesia's First Fleet Arsyad Abdullah said on Thursday. The tugboats that had surrounded the ship were also dispersing, data on Refinitiv Eikon and MarineTraffic website showed. On Refinitiv Eikon, Young Yong's status has been changed to "restricted manoeuvrability" from "aground", which would indicate the vessel is floating but that the crew does not have full control of the vessel. The United States allowed some transactions necessary to dock and anchor the Young Yong safely and make repairs as part of the efforts to free the vessel. The supertanker ran aground off Indonesia's Riau Islands on Oct. 26 near a gas pipeline.

09 Nov 2022

US Allows Transactions to Free Sanctioned Oil Tanker Stranded in Indonesia

ŠDirektorat Jenderal Perhubungan Laut

The U.S. government has allowed some transactions to take place with a sanctioned oil supertanker in efforts to free the vessel stranded in Indonesian waters, the U.S. embassy in Singapore said on Wednesday. The Indonesian navy has been trying to free the Djibouti-registered ship, Young Yong, which ran aground off Indonesia's Riau Islands on Oct. 26 near a gas pipeline. The U.S. last week issued sanctions against an international oil smuggling network it said supports Hezbollah and Iran's elite Quds Force…

07 Nov 2022

Oil Supertanker Grounded in Indonesia Will Take a Month to Free - Navy

Indonesian authorities said on Monday it could take up to a month to free a crude oil tanker stuck in its waters, while the United States slapped sanctions on the vessel for alleged links to Hezbollah and a branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. The Indonesian navy has been trying to free the Djibouti-registered vessel, Young Yong, which ran aground off Indonesia's Riau Islands on Oct. 26. The U.S. last week issued sanctions against an international oil smuggling network it said supports Hezbollah and Iran's Quds Force, targeting dozens of people, companies, and tankers as Washington sought to mount pressure on Tehran. The Young Yong was among the vessels sanctioned. U.S. embassy officials in Singapore and Jakarta did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

31 Oct 2022

VIDEO: Tanker Runs Aground in Singapore Strait

Djibouti-registered tanker YOUNG YONG ran aground off Takong Kecil in the Riau Islands,  Indonesia in the Singapore Strait at around 2020h on 26 October, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said Monday. The master of the tanker informed the MCA of the grounding.According to MPA. before the grounding, MPA's Port Operations Control Centre (POCC) issued early shallow water warnings through its Vessel Traffic Information System (VTIS) to the tanker on the potential risk of its  grounding. MPA also said it had alerted the Indonesian authorities immediately after the incident happened.Credit: MarineTraffic.com "The Indonesian authorities are leading refloatation efforts for the  tanker…

02 Sep 2021

Indonesian Navy Seizes MT Zodiac Star Oil Tanker

The Indonesian Navy says it has seized a Panamanian-flagged tanker in the waters off Riau islands after the foreign vessel was found to be carrying more than 4,000 tons of oil without valid permits.Indonesian Navy commander admiral Arsyad Abdullah said in a statement late Wednesday that the Panamanian-flagged tanker, the MT Zodiac Star, was seized on suspicion of conducting illegal activities in the country's waters.The Navy said the Panamanian-flagged tanker was carrying 4,600 tons of ‘black oil’, suspected of being waste, without a port clearance or a valid permit to transport dangerous goods.“The Navy will not hesitate to take action against all forms of legal violations that occur in Indonesian waters…

26 Jan 2021

Indonesia Escorts Seized Tankers to Dock for Investigation

The Iranian and Panamanian-flagged vessels seized by Indonesian authorities for suspected illegal oil transfers are making their way to dock at Batam island in the country’s Riau Islands Province for further investigation, a Indonesia coast guard spokesman told Reuters.The two supertankers, with crew members from Iran and China, were seized on Sunday in Indonesian waters near Kalimantan island. The MT Horse, owned by the National Iranian Tanker Company and MT Freya, managed by Shanghai Future Ship Management Co, had a total of 61 crew members onboard.“The ships will arrive in Batam at around 3pm (0600GMT) to 4pm later today,” Wisnu Pramandita…

12 Mar 2019

Indonesia Okays Empyrean Plan for Mako Gas

Indonesia has approved the development plan for the Mako gas field, Empyrean Energy PLC and Coro Energy PLC said.Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) has approved the plan of development (POD) for the Mako gas field at the Duyung production sharing contract (PSC), offshore Indonesia, said a joint statement.Mako is located on the Duyung production sharing contract, which covers 890 square kilometres offshore the Riau Islands province.Tom Kelly, CEO of Empyrean, said: "The POD approval by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in Indonesia is another important milestone in progressing the Mako Gas Field towards producon.

14 Jan 2019

Cable Ship Capsizes near Singapore after Tanker Collision

An undersea cable and pipe-laying ship, the Vanuatu-flagged MV Star Centurion, capsized in the Indonesian waters of the Singapore Straits after a collision with a tanker on Sunday, with no fatalities, authorities said on Monday.The Singapore Straits are one of the world's busiest shipping zones with hundreds of container ships, oil and fuel tankers and dry bulk carriers daily traversing the waters that connect east Asia to Europe, India and Africa.The collision happened just north of Bintan, an Indonesian island in the Riau Islands province that sits opposite the city-state of Singapore."It's already capsized," Samsul Nizar, the head of operations at the Indonesian coast guard base at Tanjung Uban on Bintan…

08 Jun 2017

Majestic Fast Ferry Launches Between Singapore and Indonesia

Majestic Fast Ferry’s newest ferry, the Majestic Dream, set sail on a maiden voyage from Singapore Cruise Centre’s (SCC) HarbourFront terminal. The 11th vessel in Majestic Fast Ferry’s fleet will ply the operator’s existing routes between Singapore and the Riau Islands in Indonesia. It will serve passengers travelling to and from SCC’s HarbourFront and Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal in Singapore, Batam Center and Sekupang terminals in Batam as well as Tanjung Pinang in Bintan. The ferry was designed by Australian naval architect and engineering service firm Incat Crowther. It is the second series of ships built by Majestic Fast Ferry at its shipyard on Batam Island, following its first series comprising Majestic 7, 8 and 9.

27 Dec 2016

Navy Foils Piracy Plot in Malacca

Indonesian Navy arrested six alleged pirates attempting to hijack a foreign-operated tanker near the Malacca Strait, one of the world’s busiest trade routes,  reports The Jakarta Post. Six suspected pirates operating in the Malacca Straits were caught by Western Fleet Quick Response Team of Tanjung Pinang base on Monday in Batam waters in Riau Islands. The group was suspected of plotting attacks on tankers passing through eastern Malaysia. The Tanjung Pinang Navy base commander, Comm. S. Irawan, said the arrest came about following a tip-off from an informant with information about criminal activities in the Malacca Straits. Irawan said that the team followed it up by intercepting the group at sea. The team managed to detain the boat, which had the six suspects on it.

22 Aug 2016

Boat Sinks in Indonesia: 10 dead, 5 missing

Ten people have drowned while five are still missing after a wooden boat carrying 17 people capsized in the province of Riau Islands on Sunday morning, reports the Jakarta Post. The boat capsized in rough seas and sank off Indonesia's Bintan island, south of Singapore. The boat carried 17 persons and overturned after it departed from a port in Tanjung Pinang of Riau province, Xinhua quoted navy spokesman Admiral Edi Sucipto as saying. Bad weather was blamed for the disaster, he said. Navy command in western Indonesia undertook the evacuation just after the incident, Sucipto said. About 20 ships and 50 fishing boats have been deployed in the search. The effort was being hampered by high waves and strong currents, said disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. Two people were rescued.

08 May 2015

Indonesia to Develop Maritime ‘Technoparks’

The Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries has announced plans to develop five maritime technology parks to improve fisheries-based business in Indonesia, says The Jakarta Globe. The areas set for development — dubbed Technoparks for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, or TPKP — have been announced as the Natuna Islands in Riau Islands province; Simeulue district in Aceh; Sangihedi Islands district in North Sulawesi; Western Southeast Maluku district in Maluku, and Merauke district in Papua. Achmad Poernomo, head of research and development at the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry said that the government had aside a Rp 17 billion [$1.2 million] budget for TPKP development in those five areas.

18 Mar 2015

Indonesia Restricts Foreign Vessels to Spur Local Shipbuilding

Indonesia will begin restricting foreign vessels transporting domestic aquaculture products in Indonesian waters to encourage growth for domestic shipbuilders from next year. The stricter fishing laws would spell the end of foreign fishing vessels plying Indonesian waters. This would in turn impact the fishery industry in several ASEAN countries which have partly depended on catch from Indonesian territorial waters. Indonesian Maritime and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said her country will not issue new licenses to foreign vessels after the current moratorium ends next month. The moratorium will end on 30 April. Indonesia doesn’t see that it should continue (with the moratorium). The country has already done verifications.

22 Feb 2015

Cheng Ho Maritime Sea Route Inaugurated

Indonesia's Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Indroyono Soesilo inaugurated on Saturday the Cheng Ho sea route package aimed at attracting mainly Chinese tourists. The tourism route is named "The Cheng Ho Sea Route: Archipelagic Sailing" after the legendary Chinese admiral, a Muslim eunuch from the Ming Dynasty who led voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and East Africa between 1405 and 1433. The sea route is part of Admiral Cheng Ho’s important history, which brought the Chinese empire’s peace message. Similar trips will also be offered in Aceh, Palembang, Bangka Belitung, Jakarta, Cirebon, Semarang, Surabaya and Bali, which were visited by the admiral.

09 Jul 2014

Petro-Pirates Plague Busy SE Asia Lanes

In the dead of night, as his fuel tanker sailed through the narrowest section of one of the world's busiest waterways, Captain Thiwa Saman was wrenched from sleep and pitched into a waking nightmare. Three men with guns and swords were banging on his cabin door. Other pirates had already stormed the bridge, seized the duty officer and smashed up the radio and GPS equipment. Over the next 10 hours, mostly in daylight, the pirates held Thiwa and his 13 crew captive while siphoning off 4 million litres of diesel, worth around $2 million on the black market, to another tanker. They even re-painted the name of Thiwa's ship to confuse anyone searching for it. Then they vanished.

27 Dec 2013

Tanker Strikes Coral Reef

Multiple sources reported that a 500gt tanker MT Awang Bazao grounded in Bintan Sea, Riau Islands. The Mongolian-flagged vessel struck coral reef in the Malang Berdaun area, 1.5 miles from the mainland, while en route to Singapore. Rough weather conditions allegedly pulled the ship off course. The ship's crew members are reported to be uninjured, and the vessel is not leaking.

28 Jun 2012

Indonesia to Build Three New Ports

In addition to the much anticipated Kalibaru Port that is expected to cost Rp 22.6 trillion (US$2.39 billion) in the first investment phase, Pelindo II will construct new ports in Tanjung Sawuh, Batam; Riau Islands province; and Sorong in West Papua, said president director Richard Joost Lino. “At the end of July, we will sign an agreement with the China Merchant Holding to construct a container terminal and an iron ore trans-shipment terminal in Batam,” Lino said on the sidelines of a logistics discussion with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin). Pelindo II is set to begin construction of the 4 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) facility next year. Total investment for the Tanjung Sawuh Port is projected to reach Rp 20 trillion, Lino said.

26 Jun 2007

Indonesia to Iron Out Glitches on Detained Barges

According to reports, Indonesia is looking to iron out the glitches on the Singapore-bound granite barges that are still detained when trade officials from both countries meet on Tuesday. But when contacted, the Economic Development Board (EDB) said its agenda for Tuesday's meeting would focus on the Riau Islands Special Economic Zone (SEZ). EDB added that it also plans to explore ways to improve efficiency and create a more attractive business environment in Indonesia. Last month, Indonesia released six of the 12 granite barges and tugboats, after their captains paid a fine of $2,219 (13 million rupiah) for committing minor maritime offences, such as failure to have legal papers and not having medical kits on board. Source: CNA