National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan told Parliament on Saturday that Indonesian authorities have detained some barges carrying granite to Singapore.

"We're quite puzzled. We do not know how long these actions will continue," Mah was quoted as saying on local TV station Channel NewsAsia.

He said the Foreign Affairs and Trade and Industry ministers had raised the matter with their Indonesian counterparts, who confirmed there was no export ban on granite and promised to look into the matter, the report said.

Officials at the relevant Singapore ministries could not immediately be reached for comment Sunday.

The developments come after Indonesia banned exports of sand used to make concrete for the resource-poor city-state of Singapore as of Jan. 23, citing environmental concerns and fears that sand exports could shrink Indonesia's borders.

The Jakarta Post on Sunday quoted Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Minister Freddy Numberi as saying Indonesia would not resume sand exports until Singapore settles border disputes with Indonesia.

Indonesia is the main exporter of sand to Singapore, and its ban sent shares in Singapore's construction companies plummeting amid speculation that Singapore would have to import concrete sand from more expensive sources. Singapore has released concreting sand from its stockpile to make up for the shortfalls caused by the ban.

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