Oil Supertanker Young-Yong Sets Sail For Nipah After Being Stranded In Indonesia
US-sanctioned oil supertanker dubbed Young Yong is now moving away from the shallow waters of Indonesia after additional tugboats were deployed on Thursday to rescue the stranded vessel, shipping data reflected.
The ten tugboats that were earlier surrounding the vessel were also dispersing, data on ship tracking websites like Refinitiv Eikon reflected.
Per Refinitiv Eikon, Young Yong’s status was altered from “aground” to “restricted manoeuvrability”, meaning the vessel is floating, but the crew members do not have complete control.
The US has permitted some transactions necessary to anchor and dock the Young Yong safely and undertake repairs as part of the efforts to free the vessel. The supertanker reportedly ran aground off Riau Islands in Indonesia on 26 October close to a gas pipeline. It was sailing for Nipah, which is a ship-to-ship transfer facility.
The US last week placed sanctions against an international oil smuggling network it mentioned supports Iran’s and Hezbollah’s elite Quds Force, targeting dozens of individuals, firms, and tankers as Washington sought to increase pressure on Tehran.
The Young Yong was one of the vessels to be sanctioned via its ownership.
The supertanker was loaded with about two million barrels of fuel oil from Venezuela upon receiving the cargo via ship-to-ship activities last month, per vessel monitoring services.
Reference: Economic Times, Reuters