REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, KUPANG -- East Nusa Tenggara's (NTT's) water conservation agency, on Monday, raised doubts and questions over the route taken by the Red Rock vessel, suspected of dumping toxic waste into the sea, and has demanded further investigation.
"I have urged the security officers from the Indonesian Navy or Police to further investigate the reason why the vessel entered the waters of NTT," Head of the agency Benny Litelnoni stated here on Monday.
The vessel, owned by PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara, should not have sailed through NTT's waters if it was transporting the waste to Surabaya, according to Litelnoni, who is also the deputy governor of NTT Province.
"Even though the inspection had been carried out, further investigation is required," he emphasized.
Read: PT Newmont denies claims of dumping toxic waste at sea
The Indonesian Navy had earlier intercepted a tanker ship, identified as Red Rock, on suspicion of carrying poisonous waste to be dumped in the waters of NTT.
The ship was suspected of carrying the toxic waste of PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara, a subsidiary of Newmont Mining Corporation, which operates the Batu Hijau mine in Indonesia on the island of Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara Province.
Intercepted by the Indonesian Warship Weling, the Red Rock tanker ship, which was loaded with dozens of containers, was then escorted to the port of Lantamal VII Kupang in NTT Province and was guarded by armed navy personnel.
PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara, on Friday, denied reports claiming that the mining enterprise was dumping toxic waste into the waters of Nusa Tenggara using the MV Red Rock tanker ship.
"According to the manifest, the waste loaded on the MV Red Rock vessel was used as lubricants and other worn-out materials, which have been granted permission to be recycled in some third-party facilities," Manager of Social Responsibility of PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara Syarafuddin Jarot stated here in a release.
The enterprise has allowed the local authority to conduct investigation on MV Red Rock's manifest.
Head of the Mineral and Natural Resources Office of West Nusa Tenggara after being directly involved in the probe of the vessel has tendered a clarification to confirm that the allegations were false.
"There were indeed toxic wastes on board, but after speaking with PT Newmont, we found that they were being taken to Surabaya to be sold to collectors," Jarot noted after a meeting with the representatives of PT Newmont, PT Meratus, and the Indonesian Naval Base VII of Kupang in PT Pelindo III Building in Kupang.
The authority found 17 containers, eight of them containing gas cylinders, two having used lubricants, and the others containing used mining buckets, safety uniforms, and accumulators or batteries.
Meanwhile, Commander of Lantamal VII Kupang Brigadier General (Mar) Siswoyo Hari Santoso affirmed that marine security was essential in the Indonesian waters.
"We will work along with all government institutions and elements of the society to guard the NTT waters," Santoso said, adding that firm action will be taken against those found guilty of harming the marine ecosystem.
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