Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (BAKAMLA) via AP
An Indonesian court on Tuesday found two oil-tanker captains from China and Iran guilty of violating the Southeast Asian country’s navigational rules by carrying out an unauthorized ship-to-ship petroleum transfer in January, but suspended their one-year prison sentences.
Chen Yo Qun, captain of the Panama-flagged MT Freya, and Mehdi Monghasemjahromi, captain of the Iranian-flagged MT Horse, will not have to serve time in prison unless they commit a similar offense during the next two years, the Batam District Court ruled.
It also ordered Chen to pay a fine of 2 billion rupiah (U.S. $140,000) for dumping oil in Indonesia’s territorial waters.
Indonesia May Soon Name Suspects in Ship-to-Ship Oil Transfer benarnews.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from benarnews.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Seized Vessel Shows Wider Ties to Illicit Iranian Oil Trade Networks
The Freya has multiple connections to a sanctioned network that involves a subsidiary of COSCO, the Chinese shipping giant
The Horse and the Freya appear to engage in a ship-to-ship transfer in Indonesian waters. (Source: Indonesian Coast Guard social media)
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China is still brimming with Iranian oil IranSource by Brendon Hong
Panamanian-flagged MT Freya and the Iranian-flagged MT Horse vessels are seen anchored in the waters off Pontianak, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, January 24, 2021 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Picture taken January 24, 2021. Antara Foto/via REUTERS
Even with occasionally reduced oil imports, Beijing has been Tehran’s lifeline to circumvent oil sanctions for years, providing a stable source of cash while nearly all countries dialed down their reliance on energy supplies from Iran. This was crucial when Iran’s oil output halved to just 2 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2020. Now, the crude-based relationship between Iran and China is stronger than ever, particularly since China is on overdrive to catch up with the United States economically, fueled by a steady stream of oil delivered from all corners of