DL Lillyho Released After 100 Days of Detention in Indonesia (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The vessel 'DL Lily,' which was detained on suspicion of infringing Indonesian territorial waters, was released on the afternoon of the 17th after 100 days.

This ship is a Panama-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier, but the captain and nine crew members are Korean.

The shipowner of DL Lily and the Korean Embassy in Indonesia stated, "The captain received his passport and related documents back from the Indonesian Navy and was granted permission to depart," adding, "It departed for Singapore Port at around 3:45 PM (local time) today."

DL Lily was seized by the Indonesian Navy on October 9 last year for anchoring within Indonesian territorial waters northeast of Bintan Island, Indonesia, instead of anchoring in international waters as required.

Since then, the crew members lived aboard the DL Lily, which was anchored in the sea in front of the Indonesian Navy base between Bintan Island and Batam Island, with their passports confiscated by Indonesian authorities, experiencing considerable inconvenience.

The shipowner, NDSM, mentioned, "According to Indonesian judicial procedures, it was recently confirmed by the Indonesian prosecutor's office that DL Lily did not engage in any unusual illegal activities such as commercial operations in Indonesian waters, and it was finally judged as 'not guilty'."

DL Lily's detention was officially lifted at 2:30 PM local time on the same day.

Earlier, from the beginning of the detention, the shipowner had expressed to the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries that "government involvement could complicate matters" and that they would "resolve the issue independently."

However, as the detention period exceeded three months, the crew complained that "the shipowner did not provide information and food supply was not smooth."

A shipowner official said, "We have focused all our efforts on getting the vessel released."

Captain Kwon Soon-woong expressed, "I am grateful to those who helped," and added, "I tried to keep the atmosphere on board from becoming depressed during this time."

When DL Lily arrives at Singapore Port on the morning of the 18th, an investigation into the circumstances of this incident is expected to take place.