Jakarta. Indonesia is in talks with the Iranian government to save the two Pertamina tankers stranded in the Persian Gulf as the war continues to rage. 

The Middle East conflict, which will soon enter its second week, has its spillovers on shipments. Pertamina International Shipping (PIS) — the state-run energy company’s marine logistics arm  — recently reported that two of its oil tankers got stuck in the Persian Gulf. 

Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia had said that Indonesia would "pursue diplomacy” to bring the ships back home, while relying on US crude to cover the supply gap as a Plan B. Santo Darmosumarto, the director-general for Asia-Pacific affairs at the Foreign Ministry, confirmed that negotiations were underway.

“Our embassy in Tehran is following up on this matter. Because we need to talk with the Iranian government. We are engaging in diplomatic and coordination efforts with the various stakeholders in Iran to ensure our interests, so that Pertamina tankers can safely cross the Strait of Hormuz,” Santo told a press briefing in Jakarta on Friday.

“But the situation in the waters is still unstable,” Santo said.

One of the tankers in question — nicknamed Pertamina Pride — had finished loading fuel in Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura, but is unable to sail away from the region, according to PIS’ latest statement as of Monday. The other vessel, Gamsunoro, is in Iraq’s Khor Al-Zubair, where the tanker is still loading cargo. 

PIS did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest updates. 

Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Boroujerdi denied Thursday that his country had shut down access to the Strait of Hormuz, which handles 20% of the global oil flows. 

“We [Iran] are only implementing special traffic protocols at times of war. Anyone who complies with the protocols can pass through. … Those fretting about the closures should ask the US, which had come from far away into the Middle East and disrupt the strait's security,” Boroujerdi told reporters.

Boroujerdi said that there were no talks of the parked tankers when he met Foreign Minister Sugiono earlier this week. 

The UN’s International Maritime Organization estimated 20,000 seafarers and 15,000 cruise ship passengers got trapped in the Gulf. The conflict erupted when the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran over the weekend, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran quickly retaliated against Israel and the neighboring US allies in the Gulf region. The Hormuz Strait is the only sea channel that connects the Persian Gulf with the open ocean.

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