Shipowners make payoffs to free vessels held by Indonesian navy near Singapore- sources

FILE PHOTO: A bird's-eye view of ships along the coast in Singapore July 9, 2017. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - More than a dozen shipowners have made payments of about $300,000 apiece to release vessels detained by the Indonesian navy, which said they were anchored illegally in Indonesian waters near Singapore, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

The dozen sources include shipowners, crew and maritime security sources all involved in the detentions and payments, which they say were either made in cash to naval officers or via bank transfer to intermediaries who told them they represented the Indonesian navy.