Tanker ‘smuggling diesel’
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained a small Mongolian-registered tanker on Friday 28th December on suspicion of smauggling diesel fuel out of Malaysia and selling it neighbouring countries.
Four Indonesian nationals were arrested after 200,000 litres of diesel was found to be on board the Prattahorn. MMEA officials put the value of the fuel at RM3.6m (US$1.2m) although this was seems a very high figure.
Suspicions were aroused by members of the public who saw fuel being transferred from road tankers to the ship.
The ship was intercepted by an MMEA patrol in Teluk Sengat, off Johor state. No mention was made of the vessel’s owner in the official report and the ship could not be found on the Equasis database.
Source: World Bunkering
