The captain of the vessel which was detained for causing massive oil spill in Balikpapan has been named as a suspect.
What happened?
The Chinese captain of ‘MV Ever Judger’ was identified only as ZD, 50, has been named a suspect in the Balikpapan oil spill in East Kalimantan.
On March 31, the oil spill caused a fire and led to the death of five fishermen. The spill came from an undersea oil pipeline belonging to state-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina.
Crew detained
The skipper and 21 members of the crew of the Panamanian ship have been detained in Balikpapan.
Charged for negligence
The East Kalimantan Police have charged the Captain under Article 99 of the Environmental Protection Law, which carries a maximum sentence of nine years in jail. He was also charged under Article 359 of the Criminal Code on negligence that causes fatalities, which carries a maximum of five years in prison.
According to communications records, the pilot told the captain not to drop anchor at that spot because it was a prohibited area.
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Source:The Jakarta Post
