Indonesia Restricts Foreign Vessels to Spur Local Shipbuilding

The stricter fishing laws would spell the end of foreign fishing vessels plying Indonesian waters. This would in turn impact the fishery industry in several ASEAN countries which have partly depended on catch from Indonesian territorial waters.

 

Indonesian Maritime and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said her country will not issue new licenses to foreign vessels after the current moratorium ends next month. The moratorium will end on 30 April. 

 

Indonesia doesn’t see that it should continue (with the moratorium). The country has already done verifications. There are a few boats that will never ever again be allowed to fish in Indonesian waters. But for the new ones – no more, said Pudjiastuti.

 

Foreign-flagged transportation vessels — usually tramp service ships — will be required to wait at specified checkpoints to receive live fish cargo from locally manufactured vessels. 

 

The checkpoint ports are located in Kendari in Southeast Sulawesi, Anambas in Batam, Kijang in the Riau Islands as well as one in Lampung, according to the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry’s director for aquaculture business, Balok Budiyanto.  

 

The country wants to start a sustained catch for sustainable fisheries business. So far the practices have been that people just catch and catch the fish. The numbers of tuna, shrimps and other fish are declining, the minister said.

 

Environmentalists are likely to give the thumbs-up to the new measures. But the changes are seen to be more about protecting and boosting the Indonesian economy.

 

Meanwhile, a week ago, the Indonesian Transportation Minister Ignatius Jonan said that his ministry would take stern measures against foreign vessels operating illegally on Indonesian waters and in its border areas.  

 

"All (foreign) vessels operating illegally on Indonesian waters will be put under arrest. The detained vessels will not be bombed or sunken, but be processed in court," Jonan said.