Two Residents Who Stealed Coal In Balikpapan Pontoon Ship Arrested

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION/ANTARA

BALIKPAPAN - The Directorate of Water Police of the East Kalimantan Police has arrested the perpetrators of the theft of coal, which is rampant on pontoons or barges.

"Recently, the Operational Team of the Bekantan Squad arrested two residents who stole coal on the pontoon boat," said Director of Polair Polda Kaltim Grand Commissioner Tatar Nugroho, in Balikpapan quoted by Antara, Saturday, August 14. ) and SHM (35) in the waters of Muara Pegah, one of the many mouths of the Mahakam River in the Makassar Strait.

Coal theft, according to him, often occurs in a number of estuaries of the Mahakam River where tugboats or tugboats tow coal pontoons from mines or stockpiles in Samarinda, Kutai Kartanegara, or West Kutai travel.

Apart from Muara Pegah, thefts were also reported in Muara Kembang, Buoy 5, Buoy 3, and Muara Berau.

The two perpetrators, who were arrested on July 16, were shoveling coal from a pontoon. From the pontoon, coal is shoveled and thrown into the hatch of the kelotok boat, a diesel-engined wooden boat that docks beside the pontoon.

When the Bekantan Squad caught SH and SHM, the stolen coal was being loaded onto the kelotok of KM Fadil Jaya 03 and KM Fajri. The total coal that was successfully removed from the pontoon was 14 tons. The pontoon measuring 300 feet or more or less 100 meters long itself carries 7,500 tons of coal.

"It is known that this pontoon is on its way to the unloading point in the estuary, where coal from the pontoon is transferred to bulk cargo ships," said Grand Commissioner Tatar.

With all the evidence in the form of both klotok and stolen coal, SH and SHM were taken to Polairud Headquarters in Somber, Balikpapan.

Both of them are subjected to Article 362 of the Criminal Code with a criminal threat of up to 5 years in prison, "explained Grand Commissioner Tatar.

"That's why we are currently intensifying patrols," said Grand Commissioner Tatar.

According to the suspect's confession, the stolen coal was originally intended to be sold to a skipper, as it is called a collector, at a price of Rp150,000 per ton.