In early 1947, the American merchant vessel SS Martin Behrman engaged in trading with Indonesia during the Indonesian National Revolution, despite a Dutch blockade in place. This resulted in the ship being boarded and its cargo seized by Dutch authorities.
The Martin Behrman arrived off the port of Cirebon on 6 February 1947, but due to the narrow harbor could not enter the port proper and instead began loading cargo around 7-8 miles off shore, with small Indonesian ships ferrying cargo to Martin Behrman. [1]
Through its embassy in Den Haag, the American government issued two written protests to the Dutch government over the seizure of the cargo in March. [2]