Bunker operators wary of Indonesian inspection<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE (Reuter): Indonesian maritime authorities have
\nboarded several tankers refueling outside Singapore port limits,
\nsaying the ships were in Indonesia's territorial waters, shipping
\nsources said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The boardings -- reported by the Singapore Shipping
\nAssociation (SSA) in a circular to members -- prompted some
\nbunker operators and shipowners in Singapore to cut back the
\nnumber of times they refuel close to Indonesian waters, they
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"There are some independents who are reluctant to bunker on
\nthe western side. They prefer the eastern side where there is
\ngreater international waters,\" one bunker industry source said.<\/p>\n
Most ship refueling -- or bunkering -- takes place within
\nSingapore's port waters. But the volume of bunkering outside port
\nlimits has been growing in recent years as a way to avoid port-
\nrelated charges.<\/p>\n
Bunkering outside port limits does not break any laws, but
\nmeans that the trade is not regulated.<\/p>\n
Indonesia bans refueling of ships in its waters, unless it is
\ndone in designated refueling ports, the shipping sources said.<\/p>\n
They said there were around 10 instances in July when ships
\nhave been boarded by Indonesia authorities near the Nipa
\nLighthouse, which is in the narrow stretch of water between
\nwestern Singapore and eastern Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The sources said the Indonesian authorities alleged that the
\nships were in Indonesian waters. The sources said the ships were
\nin international waters.<\/p>\n
They said the SSA informed its members of the incidents in a
\nJuly 8 circular, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.<\/p>\n
\"This is to inform all members that we have received a fax
\nfrom a member informing us that when performing transfer of fuel
\noil at \"Out Port Limit West\" today, both bunkering and receiving
\nvessels were boarded by the Indonesian Authority,\" the circular
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"There were also attempts made by the authority to arrest both
\nCaptains and to tow both vessels to Indonesia,\" it said.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian office of Sea Communications (SEACOM) was not
\nimmediately available for comment.<\/p>\n
But in December last year it issued a notice to shippers to
\nstop bunkering operations near Nipa Lighthouse in waters it
\nconsidered Indonesian.<\/p>\n
Bunker industry sources said if such checks persisted, the
\namount of refueling that took place outside Singapore would fall,
\nhurting bunker fuel businesses in Singapore -- the world's
\nbiggest bunkering center.<\/p>\n
Offshore refueling has been rising in recent years as a way
\nfor shipowners to avoid Singapore port charges. Savings can
\namount to US$2,000 for each refueling stop.<\/p>\n
The volume of refueling outside Singapore doubled to about
\nthree million tons in 1996 compared with the previous year,
\ntraders said.<\/p>\n
In 1996, vessels calling at Singapore bought 16.9 million
\ntons of bunker fuel, a three percent drop from a year earlier,
\nofficial figures show.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bunker-operators-wary-of-indonesian-inspection-1447893297",
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