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Tanker along with 1,2 million barrels of light crude stil idling near Batam
The 'Arman 114', loaded with some 1.2 million barrels of light crudem which was seized by Indonesia in 2023 for an illegal STS transfer, remained moored near Batam, around 15 nautical miles from the city state. An Indonesian court in July 2024 convicted the captain of environmental offences, sentencing him to seven years in prison and ordering the tanker and its cargo be confiscated for the state.The captain disappeared before the final verdict and has so far evaded capture. There were two failed attempts at auctioning off the vessel together with its cargo..The first auction was in Dec 2025, when a starting price of around US$70 million drew no bidders. A second sale collapsed in January, after interested parties failed to meet licensing equirements. The asking price was well below the estimated value of the crude on board. Applying a similar discount at the actual prices would imply an opening bid of almost US$100 million.
Tanker and cargo to be auctioned
Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office and its Asset Recovery Agency have set a date of Jan 30, 2026, for an auction to sell the seized 'Arman 114' and its cargo of. It is the second scheduled auction after a previous one in Dec 2025, and continued to list the minimum price for the vessel and its cargo at approximately $69.5 million. According to the online listing for the auction, the vessel still has approximately 167000 metric tons (1.25 million barrels) of light crude oil onboard. The ship is being sold on an “as is where is” basis with a guarantee of $6.98 million required to enter the auction and a filing of papers no later than Jan 27. The vessel was being held by the Indonesians in the waters of Batu Ampar, Batu Merah Village, Batu Ampar District, Batam City, Riau Islands Province. While the ship is registered in Iran, its ownership is unclear. The courts in Batam rejected several claims to represent the Panama-registered corporation, which claims to own the vessel. Iran has denied any involvement or ownership of the oil since the ship was seized after an incident in July 2023. The ship was ordered sold by the courts after the captain, an Egyptian citizen, was convicted in absentia on pollution charges. Indonesian patrol boats had discovered the 'Arman 114' in the midst of an illegal ship-to-ship transfer of oil in July 2023. The ships hurriedly attempted to cover their tracks after they were discovered and raised anchor in an effort to flee. The 'Arman 114' was stopped by Malaysian authorities and returned to Indonesia. The other vessel, which was using a zombie identity, fled and was not stopped. The captain of the tanker was put on trial, but fled the country days before the verdict. He was sentenced in absentia to seven years in jail and a fine of approximately $300,000 or an additional six months in jail. The court also ordered the seizure of the tanker and its cargo. It was not the first time the vessel had been in trouble globally. Built in 1997, the vessel was operating as 'Grace 1', when it was seized by UK commandos in July 2019 off Gibraltar. It was transporting a cargo of Iranian oil that the UK said was bound for Syria in violation of EU and US sanctions. Iran retaliated with the seizure of the tanker 'Stena Impero'. A Gibraltar court released the vessel in Aug 2019, saying that Iran had committed not to deliver the oil to Syria. The ship changed its name to 'Adrian Darya 1' under the Iranian flag and, in 2020, again changed its name to 'Arman 114'. The tanker has been under U.S. sanctions since 2019.
Indonesia’s government auctions off sanctioned shadow tanker, which also caused oil spill
The Indonesian government is auctioning off the US-sanctioned ' Arman 114' along with its cargo of crude oil for at least $70 million. The vessel, which currently at the Batu Ampar port in Batam, is being offered up for auction by the Attorney General’s Office, according to a government filing and a statement issued by the agency. The sum included the 167,000 tons of light crude it’s carrying. The vessel had received Iranian crude before getting apprehended. Indonesian officials had detected the 'Arman 114' alongside a second tanker in July 2023 and reported that a drone survey showed hoses strung between the two tankers. They also accused the 'Arman 114' of causing a pollution with leakages from the transfer. Both vessels were spoofing their AIS signal and failed to display a flag, even after they were detected and later challenged. When the were confronted by the Indonesian authorities, they attempted to flee. The second tanker was displaying the name 'S Tinos', which was later determined to be false. A vessel with that identity had been scrapped in 2018. It, however, alluded to capture. The 'Arman 114' also attempted to flee, but was apprehended when it entered Malaysian waters. It was returned to Indonesia. The captain of the vessel was put on trial in July 2024, although he claimed to be only a security guard aboard the vessel. The Egyptian disappeared days before the verdict was to be read. He was convicted in absentia and sentenced to seven years in prison and a $300,000 fine for intentional water pollution. Since he repeatedly failed to appear, the Batam District Court concluded that he had likely fled. The court, however, also ordered the vessel and its cargo seized and has now cleared the path for the auction. Indonesia conducted a briefing on Nov 24 to prepare for the auction. The sale has been scheduled for Dec 2. The 'Arman 114' has been sanctioned by the United States, which also linked the vessel to other illegal STS operations to support Iran’s oil sales. Iranian officials, however, in July 2023, denied ownership of the oil. Report with photo: https://maritime-executive.com/article/sanctioned-iranian-tanker-caught-in-sts-to-be-auctioned-in-indonesia
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