(Commonwealth Union)_ The situation surrounding the Djibouti-flagged tanker that ran aground in Indonesian waters close to Singapore is becoming more and more complicated. The vessel was initially reported to be transporting crude from Malaysia to China, but days after it was grounded, the U.S. Treasury Department blacklisted it because it was involved in a scheme connected to Iran. Now, according to a report from the NGO United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) and TankerTrackers.com, which was first published by Reuters, the vessel was delivering fuel oil from Venezuela to Iran.
The 306,000-dwt tanker Young Yong was allegedly involved in a sophisticated ruse as part of the payment for Iranian fuel sent to Venezuela, according to the two groups who used satellite images and documents to support their claims. Two other tankers, including one on a blacklist, loaded fuel onto the Young Yong in a ship-to-ship transfer, which was first reported by Reuters. According to reports, the transfers took place in Venezuela in March and April of this year.
The Young Yong has already been charged by the US Treasury with falsifying reports and participating in a sophisticated smuggling scheme. Officials from the Treasury Department claimed that the oil tanker Young Yong’s captain had fabricated the ship’s location information in the past when they announced that the tanker had been added to the blacklist.
Due to U.S. efforts, the most recent tanker problem has become much more complicated. According to sources, Indonesia has decided that it requires international aid to finish the salvage. The first salvage business, according to The Straits Times, withdrew after learning that the vessel had been placed on a U.S. blacklist out of fear. The U.S. government responded to a request for assistance from Indonesia by saying that it would let businesses carry out the salvage but would not enable the transfer of oil from the Young Yong from ship to ship. The tanker must be less in weight to be released, according to Indonesia’s Navy, and the procedure will be challenging given how close the ship is to the gas pipelines serving Singapore.
