Malaysia detains oil tankers worth $129.9 million

Malaysia detains oil tankers worth $129.9 million suspected of illegal operations

Malaysian authorities detained two oil tankers and confiscated crude oil worth about $129.9 million, suspecting the vessels of illegal fuel transshipment in their territorial waters. This was reported by Reuters.

Details of the incident

According to the Malaysian Maritime Surveillance Agency, the tankers were detained about 24 nautical miles west of the Penang coast after reports of suspicious activity at sea. During the inspection, the vessels were close to each other, which may indicate that oil was being transferred between the tankers without proper permits.

Both vessels were brought under the control of the authorities, and the captains were detained for investigation. The investigation is being carried out by the Penang state law enforcement authorities.

Suspicions and investigations

The detained area is known as a high-risk area for illegal transfers of oil between ships, a scheme often used to conceal the origin of cargo, evade customs controls or circumvent international sanctions.

The authorities' statement did not specify the origin of the confiscated oil or the owners of the tankers. All that is known is that the following were on board 53 crew members from different countries, In particular, China, Myanmar, Iran, Pakistan and India.

Context.

Malaysia has previously announced its intention to tighten control over shipping in its waters due to the growing number of illegal oil transactions in Southeast Asia. The detention of tankers worth such a significant amount is one of the largest such cases in recent times.