JAKARTA - Two foreign tugboats, An Rong and An Ying, have been detained by Batam port authorities for allegedly operating illegally in waters off the island, a local official said on Friday (March 11).
This came less than two weeks after a similar incident, also involving a foreign tugboat.
In the latest incident, the tugboats, each with six Indonesian crew on board, were not registered with the Office of Batam Harbourmaster and Port Authority, said its chief, Mr Rivolindo.
Registering with the local port authority is the main requirement for all vessels operating in Indonesian waters.
The tugboats were also helping two other ships - one Indonesian-flagged and another Malaysian-flagged - in a ship-to-ship transfer operation without permits when caught on March 4, said Mr Rivolindo.
All four vessels were hauled to Bintang 99 port in Batu Ampar, Batam, pending further investigations.
"The initial allegation is that the vessels operated illegally. We will investigate further whenever other breaches are found," said Mr Rivolindo. "So far, the probe has engaged the customs and excise office to examine their cargoes."
Under Indonesia's 2008 shipping law, a foreign vessel can be fined a maximum 600 million rupiah (S$57,000) for breaches. If convicted by a district court, individuals involved can be jailed for up to five years.
The local authorities have been stepping up patrols in the waters off Batam lately.
Another foreign tugboat An Ding was detained on Feb 21 by Indonesian authorities for allegedly operating illegally in the waters off Batam. The vessel and its six Indonesian crew are currently also in Bintang 99 port.
In an update to The Straits Times on March 14, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said that An Rong was deregistered from the Singapore Registry of Ships (SRS) in July 2021. In addition, the SRS does not have a record of a tugboat named An Ying. Instead, a tugboat named An Yang was deregistered from the SRS in February 2021.
Correction note: An earlier version of the article said the two vessels were Singapore-flagged tugboats, according to information from the Indonesian authorities. This has been corrected.
