Police searching for stolen oil drilling equipment

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Indramayu, West Java

Police here are attempting to locate a group of men believed to be attempting to sell oil drilling equipment that was stolen from Indramayu. Four fishermen were arrested on Wednesday for stealing the equipment.

The top detective for the Indramayu Police, Adj. Comr. Jidin Siagian, said on Thursday arresting the suspected fences would help the police bust up a ring of thieves specializing in oil drilling equipment. The ring has inflicted hundreds of billions of rupiah in financial losses on off-shore oil companies operating in the regency over the past two years.

During that period, police have recorded 102 cases of theft involving at least 18 oil rigs operating 35 kilometers off the coast of Indramayu.

Jidin said the Indramayu Police had asked for assistance from the Karawang Police, based on the suspicion that the alleged fences were in the neighboring town.

Police arrested on Wednesday four local fishermen caught stealing drills from a Pertamina oil rig. Police seized from the suspects three drilling rigs belonging to PT Foxtrot Siera Alfa, which were valued at Rp 4.4 billion (about US$494,000).

The suspects were identified as Wawan, 40; Wanda, alias Suwandi, 34; Warsim, 20; and Hendri, 30. All are residents of Karawang and are being detained at the local police station.

Indramayu Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Eko Hadi Sutedjo said he has formed a team to investigate the thefts on the oil rigs.

He said during that questioning the suspects had admitted to committing a number of thefts, but claimed to know nothing about the equipment.

Jidin said investigators were wary of the suspects' account given the expensive drilling equipment that they targeted.

"We suspect the thieves are experts or at least know a lot about the equipment and how much it costs, which is why they focused on it," Jidin said.

The suspected thieves removed the drilling equipment by cutting the bolts holding it in place.

Jidin said that between 2001 and 2002 there had been about one theft a week of oil rigs, with reported stolen equipment including ball valves, hydraulic pumps, master valves, wellhead valves, dump valves, regulators and control valves.

He said poor security on the oil rigs contributed to the high number of thefts.