The oil cargo of a supertanker that has been recently seized by Indonesia’s coast guard does not belong to Iran, the Iranian Oil Ministry announced.
The ministry said in a statement on Friday that the oil cargo of MT Arman 114, which has been seized by Indonesia on suspicion of involvement in illegal transshipment of crude oil, does not belong to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Oil Ministry added that the reports claiming that Iran is in possession of the oil tanker’s cargo have no authenticity and have been released for the purpose of spreading negative propaganda against Iran.
On July 11, Indonesia’s coast guard said it had seized an Iranian-flagged supertanker suspected of involvement in the illegal transshipment of crude oil.
The MT Arman 114 was carrying 272,569 metric tons of light crude oil, valued at $304 million, when it was seized on July 7, Reuters quoted the Indonesian authorities as saying.
The vessel was reportedly captured after being spotted in Indonesia’s North Natuna Sea, carrying out a ship-to-ship oil transfer with the Cameroon-flagged MT S Tinos.
