The captain of a general cargo ship has been jailed in Indonesia for transporting containers of hazardous and toxic liquid waste into the country, in contravention of environment and shipping laws.
The ship, SB Cramoil Equity, is owned by Singapore-based waste collection company Cramoil Singapore.
A court in the Indonesian island of Batam heard that on 13 June 2021, Batam Port Authority was tipped off to the arrival of SB Cramoil Equity in waters around Batam and that the ship was bringing toxic liquids into Batam.
The port authority’s patrol team boarded the ship where they found 20 containers of toxic waste. Each box could hold up to 1,000 litres of toxic waste.
The ship’s Indonesian captain, Chosmus Palandi, was jailed for seven years and fined around US$334,200. Although the case was heard in June, Indonesian authorities disclosed the verdict on 22 July.
Indonesia’s environment ministry said on 22 July that it is committed to pursuing the matter, which it called a cross-border corporate crime.
It wants to trace the source of the toxic cargo and is seeking to prosecute any other party or company involved.
“We have coordinated with the Indonesian embassy in Singapore and will look further into this case,” said Rasio Ridho Sani, law enforcement director-general at the ministry.
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
