Crude oil on MT Strovolos belongs to the Kingdom of Cambodia, says ministry

Indonesian Navy seizes a tanker charged of stealing crude oil from Cambodia's reserves. - AFP

PHNOM PENH, Sept 4 (Phnom Penh Post/ANN): The tens of millions of dollars worth of crude oil on board the MT Strovolos that were illegally taken out of Cambodian waters in mid-June – and seized by the Indonesian Navy a month later – belongs to Cambodia, and any charter contract disputes involving the oil tanker and the charterer are none of the Kingdom’s concern, the Ministry of Mines and Energyhas affirmed.

The ministry said in a statement: “MT Strovolos illegally left Cambodian waters and took steps to evade detection once it had done so, eventually entering Indonesian waters where it has been detained”.