Indonesia Says Iranian Tankers Have Legal Right of Passage in Lombok Strait

Indonesian officials said they are aware of the reports that Iranian crude oil tankers are transiting the Lombok Strait and cited the right of free passage. The statements came after reports by TankerTrackers.com that two Iranian-flagged crude oil tankers have slipped past the U.S. blockade and are routing through the passage east of Bali as an alternative to the more closely tracked Malacca Strait.

“We believe that these vessels are exercising their right of passage in accordance with international law,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ynonne Mewengkang is reported to have said, according to the Indonesian news service Bernama. The Foreign Ministry cited the 1982 UNCLOS treaty (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), which has been in force for the past 32 years. It reiterated the right of “Innocent Passage” as well as many of the other basic rules regarding the oceans.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) asserted that as of May 5, U.S. forces had directed 51 vessels to turn around or return to port as part of the blockade on Iranian ships and ports. The number of ships is increased by a few each day according to the CENTCOM statements.

TankerTrackers.com first reported on May 2 that it had confirmed an Iranian-flagged tanker named Huge (IMO 9357183), which it had last seen off Sri Lanka, had in fact transited the Lombok Strait of Indonesia. It said the vessel, which is 317,367 dwt and laden with 1.9 million barrels valued at nearly $220 million, was bound for the Riau Archipelago. It is a notorious area for shadow fleet tankers to make illegal ship-to-ship transfers. TankerTrackers.com noted the vessel had been dark for about six weeks, and they believed it had departed Iran just hours before the U.S. started its blockade.

Huge, built in 2008, has been sailing under the Iranian flag since 2015. It is operated by the National Iranian Tanker Corporation (NITC) and is on the U.S. sanctions list.

While only a handful of vessels appeared to have escaped the U.S. efforts, TankerTrakers.com reported on May 3 that it had spotted a second Iranian-flagged tanker taking the same route. The crude oil tanker Derya (IMO 9569700) appears to have been searching for a destination for its cargo of 1.88 million barrels. TankerTrackers.com reported the tanker missed the window of the U.S. waiver to deliver oil to India and had been at sea since mid-April.

Built in 2013, the vessel is also under U.S. sanctions. It entered the Lombok Strait, also heading to the Riau Archipelago.

TankerTrakers.com calculates that, in total, 25 tankers associated with Iran had departed with crude oil cargoes in April, but 15 of them were before the blockade. Since the start of the blockade, TankerTrackers.com reports seven tankers were redirected, and only one, Huge, had reached the Far East. The U.S. also seized two tankers associated with Iran that were accused of being stateless in April. The U.S. is reportedly seeking forfeiture orders from the U.S. courts for those vessels.

Indonesia said it would continue to monitor the situation and “communicate through appropriate diplomatic channels.” However, at least for now, it is not taking any action against the tankers sailing through its waterway.