Indonesian authorities said that on Monday night of August 17th a small general cargo ship coming from Malaysia and suspected of operating under a false ID was seized with 2.6 tons of liquid methamphetamine concealed on board. Ten people, all Myanmar nationals, who were onboard were taken into custody. The authorities reported they were acting on intelligence and formed a joint operation with customs to intercept the vessel while it was in the waters off Bengkalis, Riau. The police took the 10 individuals into custody after an initial search of the vessel discovered liquid methamphetamine in barrels and the vessel’s water tank. The search revealed the drugs were in eight 200-litre drums as well as in the vessel’s 1,000-liter water tank. Sniffer dogs also found 1.5m Chinese cigarettes in plain packages, which were illegal without the proper tax stamps. The ship was operating under the name Ocean Porter (IMO 1038767) but has also identified as Rain Wind or Rain Maker. Records show the ship was sold in 2025 and is registered in Tanzania.
2003-built, Tanzania-flagged, 992 gt Ocean Porter is listed as owned and managed by Elite Marine Transportation of Kaohsiung City, China. As of August 20th the 57m x 9m vessel was listed as Stopped between Indonesia and Malaysia, theoretically en route to Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Enviro-activist vessel Bandero (IMO 9228447) was towed from the Icelandic capital of Reykjavík to Akranes on August 17th in what the authorities called “an operational move”. The vessel remained under Icelandic detention and two crew members remained in custody. The Bandero was seized in early August (IMN August 5th) By the Icelandic Coast Guard and special forces. The ship is operated by a group founded by anti-whaling activist Paul Watson, although he was not on board. The crew were detained. The Icelandic Coast Guard said the crew of whaling ship Hvalur 9 (IMO 5361148) requested assistance on Thursday evening July 30th because they believed their safety was under threat from the Bandero. The ICG said the Bandero ignored coast guards’ instructions to leave Icelandic waters, and later it ignored an order to stop its engines. Coast guards and the police special forces Viking Squad boarded the vessel and detained its crew. Watson was imprisoned in Greenland for five months in 2024 after being arrested on a Japanese warrant over charges of obstructing a whaling ship in 2010. On his release in December 2024, Watson said he would be careful not to be caught again.
2000-built, Panama-flagged, 499 gt Bandero is owned and managed by Atlantic Marine Industries LLC of Delaware, USA. As of August 4th the 64.71m x 9.33m vessel was moored at Reykjavik, Iceland.
Two Egyptian sailors who had been detained since January aboard the oil products tanker Reem Al-Khaleej (IMO 9401726) at Iran’s Bandar Abbas, have been released, the Egyptian foreign ministry announced on August 18th. Before they departed for Egypt the head of Egypt’s Interest Section met with the sailors to check on their well-being. Two of the four crew members in total were released by Iran in February. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy intercepted the Reem Al-Khaleej near Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz in December 2025. The vessel was transporting petroleum products from Sharjah, UAE. Iranian authorities impounded the cargo and held the crew at Bandar Abbas port under suspicions of fuel smuggling. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry clarified that the legal disputes and smuggling allegations pertained strictly to the vessel’s corporate operations, rather than against the crew members.
2006-built, unknown-flagged, 3,486 gt Reem Alkhaleej is owned by BYQ Inc care of manager Qatrat Alnada Almasi Ship Management LLC of Dubai, UAE.