Indonesia’s $6 Billion of Coal Mine Thefts Said to Widen

At one of the world’s largest coal mines in the Indonesian province of South Kalimantan, enough of the fossil fuel is being stolen every three days to fill a vessel almost the size of the Chrysler Building, according to two people with knowledge of the situation.

The illegal shipments are undermining global prices for thermal coal, already near a four-year low, and have prompted a London-listed stakeholder in the Arutmin mine run by Jakarta-based PT Bumi Resources to ask its lawyers to review the claims. The people who discussed the thefts with Bloomberg asked not to be identified because the details aren’t public.