- Indonesian navy detains ships waiting near Singapore port.
- Shipowner sources say costs $300,000 to have them released.
- Navy denies receiving or asking for money.
- Arrests come as pandemic delays cause port congestion.
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, reports Euronews.
Payoff recipients unrevealed
Reports of the payments were denied by an Indonesian naval fleet commander. It was not clear whether payments were made to naval officers, or who the final recipients of the payments were.
The detentions and payments were first reported by Lloyd’s List Intelligence, an industry website.
Admiral Arsyad Abdullah, the Indonesian naval fleet commander for the region, said in a written response to Reuters that no payments were made to the navy and also that it did not employ any intermediaries in legal cases.
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Source: Euronews
