TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese vessel was reportedly detained by the Indonesian authorities on Tuesday (Aug. 6), but all its crew members are said to be safe.
The vessel, called Yung Man Shun, is a heavy-lift ship registered in Kaohsiung City. It was boarded for inspection by the crew of an Indonesian military ship on Tuesday afternoon, reported the Liberty Times.
The vessel is now anchored at the port of Batu Ampar in Batam City in Indonesia’s Riau Islands near Singapore. The 21 crew members are safe, according to Taiwan’s fishery monitoring center.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said on Wednesday (Aug. 7) that officials from Taiwan’s representative office in Indonesia have been in contact with the Indonesian authorities to figure out what happened.
Taiwanese officials will visit the crew members detained in Batam City and offer necessary assistance once they have obtained permission from the Indonesian government to enter the military zone, added MOFA. The ministry also urged the Indonesian government to release the vessel if the crew have not violated any regulations.