State owned oil firm has confirmed that a vessel captured for alleged fuel smuggling was not the property of the company. The MT Serena was captured by authorities on Tuesday, allegedly in the process of transferring subsidised diesel fuel to a Singapore-flag vessel.
"Serena is a ship chartered regularly to transport fuel from Tanjung Uban Terminal or Sambu to a fuel depot in Pontianak," said Pertamina’s Vice president for Corporate Communications, Mundakir Ali, adding that the ship was leased from PT SKR.
Djoko Siswanto, the Director of Fuel at the downstream oil and gas regulator BPH Migas, had earlier said that the fuel-smuggling ship belonged to Pertamina. Djoko also claimed there was an individual in Pertamina who was responsible for the alleged crime.
Diesel fuel aboard MT Serena, Ali subsequently told reporters, was stolen from Pertamina, and could not be categorised as subsidised. "The diesel fuel was not subsidised fuel because its status was still Pertamina's property. This action, therefore, is harmful to the company," he explained. "Pertamina will take firm action against the boat provider by blacklisting it and not allowing it to participate in Pertamina’ charter boat tender."
Ali added that Pertamina would coordinate with BPH Migas, customs, Batam Water Police, and other relevant authorities to resolve the case.