DILI, 14 february 2023 (TATOLI)– National Director of Maritime transportation (DNTM ), Alberto Freitas Pereira said the special team from PT Niaga Shipping Internasionál (NSI) Indonesia had completed the process of repairing the Ocean Star Ship which had been stalled in Dili sea almost two years.
On January 28, a team from Indonesia conducted a sea trial on the Ocean Star for two hours with a distance of 6 nautical miles/ equivalent to 11,112 kilometers and a speed of 6 knots.
The joint team consists of the DNTM, the Ministry of Transport and Communication (MTC), the Maritime Police Unit (UPM), the Criminal Investigation Scientific Police (PCIC), the Timor-Leste Port Authority (APORRIL), the custom Authority and the Police Information Service at the Timor-Leste National Police (PNTL).
“All the equipment is stable, and the ship is 100% good, therefore according to the letter from MTK stating that the ship can be returned,” said Alberto Freitas Pereira to Tatoli exclusively at the DNTM office, this Tuesday.
With the results of these direct observations, the joint team reported that the general condition of the ship consisted of the 130 RPM main engine, three support engines, radio communication, left and right anchors, electrical facilities, a cargo pump for pumping oil, oil and water, emergency fire pump, tanks, decks, lodging and other in good condition.
He said, before being sent home the ship had to comply with administrative regulations such as paying taxes to APORTIL and Customs Authority.
“So it is still in process and following the MTK assignment letter, the tax that must be paid to APORTIL costs up to $148,000,” he wrote.
Elsewhere, the Commissioner of the custom Authority, José António Fátima Abílio, said the total amount of tax to be paid has not been confirmed in the report adding that it was still in the document analysis process.
“When a ship enters (Timor-Leste) territory there should be a work report on its arrival and when a ship is returned there should be an out-work report. But there was a problem when the Ocean Star ship arrived in Timor-Leste, so the request regimes do not yet exist, but we are still considering it,” he said.
According to calculations the outwork of every ship amounts to 3% of the ship’s price. For such reason, additional documents from NSI Indonesia are needed before implementation.
The Ocean Star ship arrived in Timor-Leste on April 4 2021 through the Ariana Oceano Agency on behalf of the company Nezia Edirma from Timor-Leste with 20 crew members, but due to a dispute between ship owners NSI Indonesia and Nezia Edirma, this ship finally stopped in Dili waters without operating almost two years.
Answering all these problems, in November 2022, NSI Indonesia through its representative in Timor-Leste, Alex Rahmat provided complete documents on DNTM that NSI is the original owner of the ship.
Finally, on December 27, 2022, Indonesian Niaga Shipping International company (NSI) Indonesia sent a special team to repair the Ocean Star Ship.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia B.
