INTERNATIONAL: The Indonesian court has sentenced the captain of the M.T. Strovolos, Sazzedeen S.M, to 15 days in prison last Wednesday, plus a fine of $7,000 after finding him guilty of anchoring the tanker in Indonesian territory without permission. Spokesman for the Riau Islands provincial police, Harry Goldenhardt, has stated that a team from the National Central Bureau-Interpol had been questioning the tanker’s crew members since Saturday on Batam Island, in response to an Interpol red notice issued by Cambodia.

Goldenhardt says, “It’s based on the red notice by the Cambodian government and a letter sent by the Phnom Penh Court requesting assistance in the arrest and return of the ship and its crew.” Singapore-based company owning MT Strovolos has released a statement urging Indonesia to reject Phnom Penh’s request for assistance because the accuse of “illegal transportation” does not have a strong foundation. They are also concerned that their crew might not have a fair trial in Cambodia if they are to be sent back to the kingdom.

The Indonesian Navy says that the 600-foot Strovolos was illegally anchored off Sumatra, with its identification system turned off on 27 July. It happened three days after Cambodia issued the red notice about the alleged cargo stealing around 300,000 barrels of oil. While Cambodia has requested that the oil be returned, the Indonesian navy said it would be up to the judiciary to decide what to do with the cargo. Spokesman of the Naval Fleet Command I, Lt. Col. Laode Muhammad says, “The legal process is the authority of the prosecutor’s office and the court”.

World Tankers, which owns the Strovolos, was contracted by the KrisEnergy Group to store the Cambodian oil. However, in June this year, the group has declared for bankruptcy. The tanker's management has issued a statement on Monday saying, “The vessel’s owners understood that the chartering company was contracted by the Government of Cambodia as part of a commercial oil development projection and gave it the right to sell the oil subject to payment of royalties. The Government of Cambodia has not provided any proof to the owners to support its claim that it owns the cargo on board the vessel.” It has also added that the Strovolos crew are ‘the innocent victims’ of wrongful conduct by the Royal Government of Cambodia in violation of their human rights.”