JAKARTA - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia has noted reports of the presence of foreign tanker ships in Indonesian waters, ensuring that the government conducts field verification related to this matter.
This was conveyed by the Spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yvonne Mewengkang, regarding reports on the presence of Iranian-related tanker ships in Indonesian waters.
TankerTrackers.com, which on its website calls itself a crude oil shipment monitor specializing in dark fllet tankers, revealed two Iranian-related supertankers in Indonesian waters in two separate uploads on the X social media.
In the first upload on May 3, it was mentioned that a very large crude carrier (VLCC) owned by the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) with the name HUGE (9357183) was reported to have sailed across the Lombok Strait and headed for the Riau Islands, Indonesia after passing the US Navy blockade related to the crisis in the Middle East. The ship is claimed to carry more than 1.9 million barrels of crude oil worth nearly US $220 billion (Rp. 3.8 trillion).
In the second upload on X TankerTrackers.com revealed that the tanker DERYA (9569700) was also doing the same. Seen from the Vesselfinder and Marinetraffic websites, the ship is currently reported to be in Indonesian waters.
Twenty-four hours have passed since a NITC VLCC supertanker entered the Lombok Strait in Indonesia with Iranian crude oil. Right now, a second such tanker named DERYA (9569700) is doing the same. She attempted to deliver 1.88 million barrels to India in mid-April during the… pic.twitter.com/cNe3PDjfvv
— TankerTrackers.com, Inc. (@TankerTrackers) May 4, 2026
"Indonesia has recorded reports on the presence of foreign ships in Indonesian waters," said Yvonne, launching the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' statement, Wednesday (5/5).
"Navigation rules in any waters, including Indonesia, are subject to UNCLOS 1982 which respects all kinds of cross-regime in each maritime zone," he explained.
"The Indonesian government is conducting field verification and continues to coordinate internally, and considers that the ships are exercising their right to cross in accordance with international law," explained Yvonne.
"We will continue to monitor this situation and communicate through the appropriate diplomatic channels," he said.
It is known that tensions broke out in the Middle East, along with the Israeli and US attacks on Iranian territory that killed more than 3,300 people, including the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on February 28, 2026.
Iran retaliated by carrying out attacks on Israeli territory, US-related infrastructure in neighboring countries in the region, and tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of the world's crude oil and gas trade traffic passes.
The United States then announced a blockade on ships that were about to enter and leave Iranian ports.
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