Two Vessels Caught Red Handed In Illegal Transaction

Karimun, Jan 30 (ANTARA) - Two tankers flying Indonesian flag have been caught red handed by a customs and excise sea patrol when the tankers allegedly committing illegal transfer of cargo in the Riau Island Provincial waters. The customs patrol found MT Serena II of state oil and gas company PT Pertamina unloading subsidized diesel oil to the KM Cahaya in the sea off Bintan around midnight on Tuesday. The customs officers detained the two ships as they had no official documents to back up the transfer of the cargo in the sea, Agus Wahyono, a custom official said in Tanjung Balai Karimun on Wednesday. MT Serena II had an order to carry 3,680 liters of subsidized diesel oil from the Sambu island to Pontianak, West Kalimantan, but it apparently tried to sell the fuel in the sea, Agus said. He said as the skipper could not show official order for the suspicious transfer of cargo in the sea the ships were then ordered to turn to Tanjung Balai Karimun for investigation. "The two ships have been in Karimun since last night," he said. He said there were three ships involved but one escaped and disappeared in the darkness when the customs patrol boat came.