Indonesia to sell seized Iranian tanker and crude cargo at auction
Indonesia announced it will auction the seized Iranian tanker MT Arman 114 and its 1.245 million barrels of crude oil starting December 2, with a reserve price of Rp 1.174 trillion ($70 million) through the government’s online auction platform.
The 1997-built supertanker (IMO 9116412), flagged to Iran and under US sanctions, was seized by Indonesia’s Maritime Security Agency in October 2023 in the North Natuna Sea.
The MT Arman 114 had conducted an illegal ship-to-ship transfer with the Cameroon-flagged MT S Tinos while both vessels had their AIS identification systems switched off.
Drone footage captured a pipeline between the ships and an oil spill entering the sea.
Following a district court ruling on July 10, 2024, the Egyptian captain, Mohammed Abdelaziz Mohamed Hatiba, was convicted of illegal waste dumping. He was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined Rp 5 billion (approximately $300,000).
The court ordered both the vessel and its cargo forfeited to the state, paving the way for the upcoming auction.
A security deposit of Rp 118 billion ($7 million) is required for the aucion. Only companies licensed to trade or process oil and gas, or those registered with the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, are eligible to bid. As of Monday, 19 firms have registered interest.
