“The tankers, first detected at 5:30 a.m. local time concealed their identity by not showing their national flags, turning off automatic identification systems and did not respond to a radio call,” coast guards stated.

For further inquiry, the tankers, captured in waters off Kalimantan province, were escorted to Batam island.

Since sanctions were reimposed on the nation in 2018, Iran has resorted to plenty of illegal tanker operations.

Maritime Business World