The Indonesian Navy has arrested two foreign-flagged tankers attempting to smuggle crude palm oil or CPO.

The navy has stopped the tanker mt world en route from Dumai in Riau province to India in the Indonesian part of the waters of the Strait of Malacca.

Meanwhile, another vessel, the MT Annabelle bound for Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, was stopped in West Kalimantan waters departing Kijing seaport in Pontianak.

The Indonesian government has banned the export of CPO and its derivatives to meet domestic demand and to prevent abnormal price increases in the country. This ban is in effect until the price returns to normal.

MT World progress is a Liberian-flagged tanker owned by Russian national Beloy Alexander. 22 foreign crew members are on board this tanker, 7 Russians, 6 Ukrainians and 9 Indians. The ship is suspected of breaching documents with contrasting documentation of what is really on board and on paper.

In a separate location, the navy also arrested the tanker MT Annabelle illegally transporting 13,357,425 metric tons of CPO and 98 drums of methanol, 5 sealed and 93 empty drums in West Kalimantan waters. MT Annabelle is a Marshals Island flagged tanker with a Chinese national captain and 24 crew. The ship is suspected of criminal offenses illegally transporting a shipment of methanol without dangerous goods transport documents.

The smuggling and illegal shipping of cooking oil and its raw materials overseas is believed to be one of the causes of the recent cooking oil shortage and abnormal price hike in Indonesia that the Indonesian government is trying to to stop.

by TVRI