WTM: Cambodia’s Accusation of Oil Theft Without Foundation; Vessel Under No Obligation to Return

• 29 September 2021
• Local News
• 1263 Views

World Tankers Management (WTM), the firm managing the alleged missing oil ship, released a statement on Monday that Cambodia’s accusation of theft was without foundation, and the vessel was under no obligation to return to Cambodia as requested by the government.

As reported in Nikkei Asia on 28 September, the firm said that the question of who owns the oil has yet to be resolved. KrisEnergy had also told the tanker’s owner that it objected to the oil being given to Cambodia as that would be contrary to their ownership rights.

The vessel had no choice but to leave the Apsara oil field in the Gulf of Thailand when KrisEnergy went bust and could no longer re-supply the tanker, the statement said.

“The charter was terminated due to the charterers’ breaches of key obligations. As a matter of law, the vessel was under no obligation to return to Apsara,” said the statement.

“There has never been any intention or suggestion that anything would be done with the oil on board other than to offload it as soon as its ownership is proved, and agreement is reached about payment to the owners of the money which they are owed,” the statement added.

WTM also added the Cambodian government has not provided any proof to the vessel’s owners to support its claim that it owns the cargo on board.

Besides denying the accusation by Cambodia, the firm also accused Indonesian authorities of violating the human rights of crews by interrogations which took place after an intervention from the Cambodian government.

It stated that Cambodia had used a request for assistance to Indonesia to coerce the owners to accept their claims without proof or payment.

It called the move an “unpleasant and unethical tactic” that had violated the crew’s human rights and said it had “grave concerns” there would be no due and proper process should the crew be handed to Cambodia.

In response, an Indonesian navy spokesman said that Indonesia’s initial seizure of the ship was not based on a request from Cambodia but was instead for anchoring in the country’s waters without permission.

This is an ongoing case after the Cambodian government has publicly commented on the case of 300,000 barrels of crude oil allegedly stolen from Cambodian waters and has officially requested the Indonesian government to return the perpetrators and oil tanker, including nearly 300,000 barrels to Cambodia.

To read more about the timeline click here.

• Energy and Environment