Indonesia Maritime defence and security issue

[Reashot Xigwin]

Minister Susi to take Chinese corporation to court
thejakartapost.com, Jakarta | National | Thu, September 17 2015, 8:42 PM

Susi Pudjiastuti (JP/Novan Iman Santosa)

National News
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister is preparing to take legal action against China-based Pingtan Marine Enterprise Ltd. (PME) for alleged fish theft in Indonesian waters.

“We are working together with [Indonesian lawyer] Todung Mulya Lubis to prepare a case against PME,” said Susi as quoted by Antara news agency on Thursday.

Susi described PME as a fishing company that operated in the Cayman Islands, was run from an office in China and was listed on the Nasdaq Index in the US.

The minister said that PME’s ownership, trade and management dealings with four companies in Indonesia had violated the law to a serious extent.

According to the minister, her ministry will launch legal action against PME to stop the distribution of illegally caught fish. It will also seek to stop PME from profiting from such illegal activity as well as make sure that the illegal fishing is not being funded with public funds through the stock exchange.

Susi has previously asserted that there is global consensus that fish theft is a global problem that needs to be solved.

“Ambassadors have agreed that illegal, unreported and unregulated [IUU] fishing is a global enemy,” said Susi during the 2015 Coordination Meeting of the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry on Sep. 10, Antara reported.

Susi said that she had gathered ambassadors from neighboring countries at a lunch to explain her intention to fight IUU fishing in Indonesian waters.

The practice, said Susi, has been going for years and people now consider it normal – as if Indonesian waters were an international zone. This leads to other kinds of theft, of things such as diesel fuel. (rad/bbn)

- See more at: Minister Susi to take Chinese corporation to court | The Jakarta Post

 

[pr1v4t33r]

10 arrests now linked to AP fish slave investigation; Indonesia threatens to sink Thai ship

Navy personnel stand guard as the crew of Silver Sea 2, a Thai-owned cargo ship which was seized by Indonesian authorities last August, are lined up during a media conference at the port of Sabang, Aceh province, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 25, 2015. The Thai captain of the ship has been arrested in Indonesia following allegations of illegal fishing, an official said Friday. It is the latest development linked to an Associated Press investigation that uncovered a slave island earlier this year.

read more: Thai man arrested on boat believed to be carrying slave fish - US News



Minister Susi to Use Fish DNA to Track Down Illegal Fishermen

Maritime and Fishery Minister Susi Pudjiastuti will use fish DNA tracking to charge ships and shipowners over an illegal fishing act conducted by Silver Sea 2 vessel. This method is used for the first time to track rigged vessel which is currently examined at Sabang Pier.
“We will examine the DNA of the fishes they have captured with the fishes in our waters,” Susi said Friday, Sept. 25.

read more: Minister Susi to Use Fish DNA to Track Down Illegal Fishermen | Economy & Business | Tempo.Co :: Indonesian News Portal

 

[pr1v4t33r]

Vietnamese vessel seized for illegal fishing in Natuna

A Vietnamese-flagged vessel has been seized by the West Kalimantan Police for allegedly conducting illegal fishing in Natuna, Riau Islands. According to the police spokesperson Kombes Arianto, the vessel carried around one ton of fish when it was seized on Tuesday.

“The evidence of one vessel and one ton of fish as well as the operator and crew members have been handed over to the Maritime and Fisheries Monitoring Task Force [PSDKP] station in Tarempa, Anambas, on Thursday to face legal proceedings,” said Arianto in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on Saturday as quoted by Antara news agency.

The ship’s operator will be charged with violating Law No. 45/2009 on Fisheries and can face a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a Rp 20 billion (US$1.48 million) fine.

Indonesia is indeed home to rich diversity of marine fish and other underwater resources. Three of the most popular areas in the archipelago for illegal fishing include Natuna, Arafura and the North Sulawesi.

West Kalimantan waters were prone to illegal fishing by foreigners, according to data from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. The waters in West Kalimantan are part of Zone III alongside Natuna, Karimata and the South China Sea, with the potential to produce 1 million tons of fisheries products a year.

Vietnamese vessel seized for illegal fishing in Natuna | The Jakarta Post

 

[xudoai]

Vietnam releases 3 Thai ships caught fishing illegally in its waters

TUOI TRE NEWS. UPDATED : 09/24/2015 13:05 GMT + 7

A Vietnam Coast Guard unit in the southernmost province of Ca Mau has escorted three Thai fishing ships out of Vietnamese waters after discovering them fishing illegally there, an official has said.

Colonel Le Huy Sinh, deputy political commissar of the Vietnam Coast Guard of Zone 4, on Wednesday said three Thai fishing boats had been driven away from Vietnamese waters on Monday.

At 10:00 am that day, the foreign ships were found illegal fishing in the waters of Ca Mau, about 15 nautical miles northwest of Vietnam’s DK1/10 marine platform, which is an economic, scientific and technological service station.

Vietnamese coast guard officers made a report on the encroachment of the foreign vessels and gave them a warning before escorting them out of the Vietnamese waters, Col. Sinh said.

Dozens of foreign fishing boats violate Vietnam’s waters every day to fish unlawfully, the Inspectorate of the Ca Mau Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said, citing reports from local fishermen.

On September 11, coast guard officers on board the ship Thai Police 528 opened fire on six Vietnamese fishing boats when the local vessels were operating off the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang.

The attacks killed 38-year-old fisherman Ngo Van Sinh, the captain and steersman of one of the fishing boats, and injured two others, one of whom was shot in his thighbone.

On September 17, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a diplomatic note to the Thai Embassy in Hanoi, expressing deep concerns over the incident and asking Thailand to probe it and punish those individuals involved in accordance with the Thai law.

At a press meeting in Hanoi the same day, ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh demanded that Thai authorities probe the case, handle those concerned, and compensate for the human and property losses of the Vietnamese fishermen.

Thailand is required to prevent similar incidents from recurring in order to avoid causing adverse impacts on the two countries’ strategic partnership, Binh insisted.

Thailand’s Police Major General Apichart Suribunya has promised to vigorously investigate the shootings of those Vietnamese fishermen.

The Thai official, who is also Commander of Thai Interpol, made the commitment at a meeting with Vietnam’s Chargé d’Affaires to Thailand Pham Thanh Nam on Monday on the case.

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[pr1v4t33r]

Vietnam releases 3 Thai ships caught fishing illegally in its waters.

Release the fisherman, but confiscate the boats or they will keep fishing illegaly using that same boat in no time.


2 illegal fishing vessels from vietnam seized by marine and fishery patrol (25/9/2015)

HIU MACAN TANGKAP KAPAL VIETNAM PELAKU ILLEGAL FISHING

 

[pr1v4t33r]

Sea piracy, maritime crimes among Indonesia's focus in AMMTC

Indonesia will focus on, among others, sea piracy and non-traditional maritime crimes during the ongoing 10th Asean Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) and its related meetings. Indonesian National Police General (Pol) chief, Badrodin Haiti said the country would encourage the illegal unreported and unregulated fishing issues to be given indepth focus.

"Before this, we had faced the same issue with Thailand," Badrodin said on the sidelines of the AMMTC and related meetings here, when asked on issues which Indonesia intended to table at the 10th AMMTC. The plenary session of the AMMTC began today.

read more: Sea piracy, maritime crimes among Indonesia's focus in AMMTC | theSundaily

 

[pr1v4t33r]

4 Fishing Boats from Philipines Seized by the Navy for fishing illegaly inside Indonesia' water (28/9/2015)

FB RELL & RENN 8 with 20 crews, FB RELL & REN 6 with 16 crews, FBLB CNN with 3 crews, FB LB RR-8A with 3 crews

Ini Dia, Empat Kapal Pencuri Ikan dari Filipina yang Ditangkap TNI AL - Tribunnews.com
Empat Kapal Filipina Kepergok Rambah Hasil Laut Indonesia - Metro Kaltara

 

[MarveL]

Indonesia’s War on Illegal Fishing Sinks China’s Catch
Posted by: RSIS October 3, 2015in Business, Economics, Environment, Featured, Headlines, Indonesia, Politics, Security

For China, the focus needs to shift away from outward expansion of marine fishing to sustainable aquaculture and fish processing.


Since Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo took office in October last year, he has made the “Global Maritime Fulcrum” strategy as the centrepiece of his administration. One of the key elements of the “Maritime Fulcrum” is to revitalise the domestic fishing industry. This has started with a crackdown on foreign fishing vessels in Indonesian waters as Jakarta claims that the country loses up to US$20 billion revenue per year due to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Indonesia’s crackdown on foreign fishing vessels has had a far-reaching impact on China, not only its fishing industry but also the country’s 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (MSR) Initiative. It has also an indirect impact on Indonesia’s Global Maritime Fulcrum ambition.


Huge costs to China’s fishing industry
Since October 2014, Indonesia has sunk 84 foreign fishing vessels. While most of these fishing vessels were from neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is increasingly taking a tough stance towards China. Jakarta confiscated more than nine Chinese-linked vessels for alleged poaching in January 2015 and sank a Chinese fishing vessel in May 2015.

Indonesia unilaterally revoked a bilateral fishing cooperation agreement which was signed between two countries in October 2013 for violating Indonesia’s domestic laws and giving Chinese fishermen an unfair advantage in fishing in the Indonesian water.

Under the bilateral fishing cooperation agreement signed by two countries in October 2013, Chinese fishermen were allowed to fish in Indonesia on condition they enter into a joint venture with an Indonesian company and own not more than 49 percent of the stakes. The agreement also required the Chinese fishing vessels to be registered in Indonesia and fly the Indonesian flag.

According to China’s official data, there were 17 Chinese fishing companies investing in Indonesia and about 400 Chinese fishing vessels undertaking fishing operations in Indonesia waters, mostly in the Arafura Sea, by October 2014. In addition, over the past few years, Chinese fishing companies have built 11 fishing bases and a large number of new fishing vessels, primarily trawlers and purse seine vessels, in accordance with Indonesia’s fishing conditions and Indonesian fishing regulations. Total investment in the fishing bases and fishing vessels stood at US$ 620 million.

Out of bounds for Chinese vessels
However, after the introduction of a new fishing law by Indonesia, most of these fishing vessels could not operate in the Indonesian waters and the associated onshore fishing facilities have become redundant. This caused huge economic losses for the Chinese fishing companies.

From November 2014 to March 2015, it was estimated by Chinese Distant Water Fishing Association that total direct economic cost suffered by Chinese fishing companies reached US$ 130 million, in addition to 24,000 tonnes of fish catch worth US$ 50 million,-which no longer could be transported to China for sale.

On top of immediate economic cost, Indonesia’s new fishing policy also created obstacles for China’s plan to develop further the country’s Distant Water Fishing sector. As the country’s domestic fishery resources have been quickly depleting due to pollution and overfishing, China considers expanding distant water fishing the critical approach to restructure its fishing sector.

Indonesia has a key role in China’s distant water fishing plan. In 2014, it was estimated that China’s distant water catch in Indonesian waters amounted to 330,000 tonnes worth nearly US$ 500 million, which made up 24 per cent and 34 per cent of the country’s total production and value added of the Distant Water Fishing sector respectively in 2014.

Shadow on China’s Maritime Silk Road Initiatives


As China is making all-out efforts to push forward the Maritime Silk Road Initiatives (MSR), Indonesia is poised to play a major role in the future success of MSR.

This is not only because Indonesia is the biggest and most populous country in Southeast Asia but also due to the fact that the maritime silk road and Indonesia’s Global Maritime Fulcrum are complementary, and offer great potential for the two countries to enhance maritime cooperation.

During President Jokowi’s visit to China in March 2015, the two countries agreed to strengthen strategy and policy communication, advance maritime infrastructure connectivity, deepen cooperation in industrial investment and major project construction, and enhance practical cooperation to develop a “maritime partnership” together. Currently, however, Chinese investment in Indonesia is still quite low.

Although in recent years, Chinese companies have shown growing interest in investing in Indonesia, China was only ranked the 10th among Indonesia’s top foreign investors, according to latest data. Low level of Chinese investment in Indonesia has been largely due to bureaucratic obstacles, weak rule of law and low level of protection for foreign investors. Indonesia’s recent actions against Chinese fishermen and fishing companies certainly further damaged Chinese investors’ confidence in investing in Indonesia.

Way forward
For Indonesia, while it is understandable that it intends to tackle illegal and unreported and unregulated fishing which has brought enormous loss for the country, the legitimate interest of foreign investors need to be protected, particularly given the fact that Indonesia’s “Maritime Fulcrum” desperately needs foreign investment.

For China, as far as the fishing sector is concerned, the focus needs to shift away from outward expansion of marine fishing to sustainable aquaculture and fish processing, which should also be one of the key areas for maritime cooperation with Indonesia under the maritime silk road framework.

Indonesia's War on Illegal Fishing Sinks China's Catch

 

[pr1v4t33r]

Transas to supply ecdis to Indonesian surveillance vessels
Transas has won an order to supply ecdis to a fleet of 20 surveillance vessels in Indonesia.

The country’s Directorate General of Marine Resources and Fisheries Surveillance and Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries decided to install ecdis on these vessels to help prevent illegal activities in Indonesian waters. The systems will be supplied and installed in co-operation with local partner PT MultiIntegra.

Marine Resources and Fisheries Surveillance director general Asep Burhanudin said ecdis will be integrated with sensors already deployed on these vessels. These include GPS, compass gyro, speed log, wind sensors and transponders for the Automatic Identification System. “Fitting the surveillance vessels with ecdis will help us to better monitor the Indonesian waters and support prevention of illegal fishing, which is one of key issues for the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries,” he added.

Transas to supply ecdis to Indonesian surveillance vessels

 

[MarveL]

Australia and Indonesia committed to struggling against IUU fishing. (Photo: Stock File/FIS)

Indonesia and Australia join efforts to combat illegal fishing

​

AUSTRALIA
Thursday, October 08, 2015, 03:40 (GMT + 9)

Indonesian and Australian authorities have signed an agreement to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and to promote sustainable fisheries governance across the region.

Referring to the joint efforts, Australian Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Barnaby Joyce stressed the agreement deepens an already strong and mutually beneficial relationship with Indonesia.

“Both Australia and Indonesia have long recognised the importance of sustainable fisheries management,” the Australian minister pointed out.

“It is very clear that Indonesia remains committed to practical action that will deliver real benefits to sustainable fisheries management in the long term. Australia is proud to support that commitment. By sharing our knowledge and experience we can work together to ensure sustainability of fisheries in the region, and encourage other regional partners to do the same,” he added.

Minister Joyce also emphasised the high-level engagement as well as the cooperation on fisheries matters at the operational level.

“By working together in partnership, countries can more effectively monitor, intercept and deny passage to illegal fishing vessels and undermine their business models,” he stressed.

“This Joint Communiqué reaffirms the commitment of Australia and Indonesia to work with existing fora such as the Regional Plan of Action, which is a coalition of 11 regional countries who work cooperatively to reduce the occurrence and impact of illegal fishing and improve fisheries governance across the region,” he concluded.

Indonesia's Minister for Maritime Affairs Susi Pudjiastuti welcomed the agreement and said that without Australia's assistance, Indonesia would find difficulties to monitor everything happening in the eastern waters, especially around the borders of Papua New Guinea and East Timor, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Minister Pudjiastuti recalled that Australia had recently provided Indonesia with a photo of the Thai-owned vessel Silver Sea 2, which was allegedly loaded with slave-caught fish, when the vessel tried to escape Indonesian security before it was arrested in Aceh.

"I'm looking forward in the future to doing further work to make sure fishermen in this area get a fair deal. Otherwise they are just going to get fished out and other people will steal the produce that sustains their way of life and that's just not fair," Minister Joyce stressed.

Illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing is recognised globally as a threat to the management and conservation of marine resources and ecosystems, and in particular to sustainable fisheries.

Eradicating illegal fishing will enhance the prosperity of coastal communities in both countries.

editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com

FIS - Worldnews - Indonesia and Australia join efforts to combat illegal fishing

 

[prima99]

Indonesia intercepts shark fins destined for Hong Kong - The China Post

Indonesia intercepts shark fins destined for Hong Kong

JAKARTA--Indonesian authorities have seized about 3,000 shark fins that were about to be flown to Hong Kong, an official said Wednesday, a rare success in the battle against the illegal trade.

The fins from the oceanic whitetip shark, a species protected in Indonesia and banned from export, were seized last week at the international airport that serves the capital Jakarta, government official Rusnanto, who goes by one name, told AFP.

"The fins came from around 3,000 oceanic whitetip sharks which were caught in the waters around Java island," said the official who works for an agency that deals with fish, referring to Indonesia's main island.

He said the haul was worth one billion rupiah (US$72,000) in Indonesia but would fetch several times that amount in Hong Kong, where shark fins are considered a delicacy.

Officials found the fins in boxes that were due to be exported, he said. The export company was being investigated, he added, without giving the name.

Hong Kong is one of the world's biggest markets for shark fin, which is often served as a soup at expensive Chinese banquets.

More than 70 million sharks are killed every year, according to environmental group WWF. Huge quantities are exported annually to Hong Kong, and most of those fins are then sent on to mainland China.

Conservationists have long been raising the alarm about shark-fishing in Indonesia, and point to signs that populations have been declining across the whole archipelago, which consists of more than 17,000 islands.

Efforts to crack down on the illegal trade have been hampered by weak law enforcement and a failure to offer poor fishermen alternative ways of earning a living.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the oceanic whitetip shark as "vulnerable" and says catches, particularly in international waters, are inadequately monitored.

 

[Aepsilons]

Eradicating illegal fishing will enhance the prosperity of coastal communities in both countries.

 

[MarveL]

Govt pushes joint ASEAN efforts on illegal fishing

Almost a year after placing a ban on renewals of licenses for large, foreign-built fishing vessels, the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry is devising a post-moratorium national plan of action (NPOA) that will focus on strengthening Indonesia’s maritime policies in the context of regional integration.

The NPOA will focus on policies promoting sovereignty, sustainability and prosperity, as well as optimizing the ability to detect, respond and punish perpetrators of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

In order to ensure the success of its policies, the government is pushing for the recognition of IUU fishing as a transnational crime.

According to Mas Achmad Santosa, the head of the ministry’s illegal fishing prevention task force, the government is looking to enable the handling of IUU fishing and fisheries-related practices across national borders.

Illegal poaching, Ahmad said, was almost always accompanied by related crimes such as human trafficking, modern slavery or the falsification of documents.

“A network of illegal poachers at sea is usually controlled by identifiable entities or individuals. In Indonesia’s case, the strings are being pulled [by parties] in Thailand and China — and it starts out as a ploy with other countries to blur the legality of transfer ownership,” Achmad told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

Since November last year, the government has enforced a ban on all foreign-built fishing vessels over 30 gross tons (GT) under the suspicion that the operation of these ships might be a ruse for poaching.

A total 1,132 ships owned by 187 fisheries firms underwent an analysis and evaluation (Anev) audit by the illegal fishing prevention task force, in which it was revealed that 907 ships — roughly 80 percent — had committed operational and administrative infractions.

As a result, the ministry revoked 15 business licenses (SIUP) and 279 operational licenses (SIPI/SIKPI), in addition to pressing criminal charges against 18 large fisheries firms.

Achmad claimed that IUU fishing practices in Indonesia took advantage of lax border control and discrepancy in maritime policies among neighboring countries, raising a pressing need for governments to synchronize their maritime law enforcement policies.

As a result of previous discussions, he continued, the government had started working on a multilateral framework involving Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and Australia to combat poaching in the Arafura Sea.

“We have to strengthen cooperation among these countries so that we have a common standard for legal enforcement,” said the former antigraft activist.

Separately, Ono Surono, a member of the House of Representatives’ Commission IV overseeing agriculture and fisheries and the environment, supported the initiative to have IUU fishing recognized as a transnational crime.

Ono urged countries sharing maritime borders — especially members of ASEAN, Timor Leste, PNG, China and Australia — to establish an institution for collectively handling IUU fishing practices, thus overcoming nations’ limited capability to monitor their territorial waters.

Last Friday, National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti said that the police force had joined efforts to establish illegal fishing as a transnational crime.

During the 10th ASEAN Minister Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia two weeks ago, Badrodin explained, Indonesia had highlighted the issue.

“We stressed that illegal fishing was a transnational crime, as it is a violation related to national borders and [occurs] across countries,” he said at the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta.

ASEAN’s eight priority areas of transnational crime comprise counterterrorism, illicit drug-trafficking, trafficking in persons, money laundering, sea piracy, arms smuggling, international economic crime and cybercrime.

“Our focus is not on decreasing [illegal fishing] but on law enforcement. In law enforcement, for example, if a group of people suspected of a crime was caught here but several of them ran away to another country, or if someone was convicted of a crime here but fled the country, then how would we catch them?” the police chief asked.

Govt pushes joint ASEAN efforts on illegal fishing | The Jakarta Post


Barnaby Joyce signs agreement with Indonesia to combat illegal fishing

Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce at Jakarta Cathedral during his visit. Photo: Jefri Tarigan

Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce has signed an agreement to combat illegal fishing with one of Indonesia's most popular - and colourful - ministers.

Indonesian Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti - whose trademark policy of blowing up illegal fishing boats has won strong local support - said without Australia's assistance it was difficult for Indonesia to see what happened in the eastern part of the vast archipelago.

She said Australia had recently provided Indonesia with a photo of the Thai-owned Silver Sea 2, which was allegedly loaded with slave-caught fish, when the vessel tried to escape Indonesian security before it was arrested in Aceh.

"We want to increase cooperation," Ms Susi said after meeting Mr Joyce in Jakarta.

"Australia will sign a declaration in Indonesia and the Pacific with Timor Leste, PNG, Fiji and us. This visit strengthens our cooperation and ensures there will be no more illegal fishing (at our) border with Timor Leste, PNG, and Australia."

Mr Joyce said he was happy with the work Australia was doing with Indonesia to "find out who is sneaking into other people's places and stealing their fish. Some of the work we have done with Indonesian fisheries has assisted with that."

Mr Joyce said Ms Susi had shown him a photograph of one of the vessels that had been caught.

"All I can say is lucky that we caught them before Ibu Susi could bomb them," he joked at a press conference with Indonesian and Australian media.

"I'm looking forward in the future to doing further work to make sure fishermen in this area get a fair deal," he said. "Otherwise they are just going to get fished out and other people will steal the produce that sustains their way of life and that's just not fair."

A high school dropout, who ran a successful fisheries business and started her own airway before being elected to Joko Widodo's cabinet, Ms Susi won the highest approval rating among ministers early this year.

"Ibu (Ms) Susi is famous. We know about her in Australia where she is seen as a lady who is incredibly determined to make sure Indonesian fisheries are well protected," Mr Joyce said.

The agriculture minister, who has been keen to visit Indonesia for some time, has been a popular guest in Jakarta.

Two of the most senior officials from the Indonesian ministry of agriculture attended an event in his honour on Tuesday night and he is expected to meet with Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman on Thursday.

Barnaby Joyce signs agreement with Indonesia to combat illegal fishing

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

Lapan develops instrument that can detect high fishing-potential areas
Senin, 12 Oktober 2015 20:49 WIB | 412 Views

Bandung, W Java (ANTARA News) - The Institute of National Aviation and Space, or Lapan, has developed a fish availability sensing instrument to enhance the Indonesian fishermens productivity by utilizing satellite-based technology.

The instrument is called Decision Support System (DSS).

"By utilizing the technology from Lapan, the DSS system effectively supports the fishermens activity and enhances their ability to detect potential fishing areas," the Deputy for Science and Atmosphere at Lapan, Afif Budiono, said here on Monday.

The system can guide the fishermen towards areas with high fishing potential and give safety related information during sailing.

"Previously, the fishermen faced difficulties in gathering such information. I hope that in the future, the fishermen will access this system, thus enhancing their own productivity. Also, it will assist them in navigation during sailing," Afif said.

He added that the system, which is connected to Lapans satellite launched last July, can detect fish population and also locate fishermens ships.

It can then provide comprehensive information, including factors that have a disaster potential, such as high speed winds, high waves, and threat of tsunami.

"Each fishing boat is equipped with high-frequency communication tools that enable it to receive radio communication from the operator," Afif said.

The system, the Deputy said, is also connected to the Indonesian Amateur Radio Organization channel that can effectively spread the information.

In the first phase, the DSS will be made operational in Yogyakarta Province. The Institute will soon develop similar systems for other provinces of Indonesia.

Additionally, the Head of Science and Atmosphere Technology Center of Lapan, Halimurrahman, said the system will be utilized in Indonesia with the aim to increase fish productivity while, at the same time, improving fishermens safety on the job.

"Indonesia, as an archipelago country, needs such a system. Soon, it will become operational in other areas of Indonesia, too," Halimurrahman added.

Earlier, in September, Lapan had launched Lapan A2 satellite with the help of the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C30.

The satellite is equipped with video and digital cameras that can track and locate ships as well as amateur radio traffic.

The A2 satellite can monitor shipping traffic, support maritime security and monitor Indonesian maritime resources.(*)

 

[Tesla85]

Ball less Vietnamese no guts to stand up for its own fishermen or simply Vietnamese are too greedy that they go to other seas to steal food.

Speaking of stealing... Most tragic is the plundering of fisheries in dirt poor & starving Africa:

---Most pirate fishers are Chinese & Korean in this vid

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kudos to Indonesia, now lets hope VCP will dump more Vietcongs in the slammer.

---Chinese pirate fisher vessels seized in Argentina.

---Russia fires at Chinese pirate fishers, including sinking Chinese transport vessel.

---S. Korean Coast Guard kills Chinese pirate fishers


So will you now say "kudos to Argentina, Russia, S. Korea, Somalia, etc. now lets hope CCP will dump more ChinCongs into the slammer", Mr. Holier-Than-Thou?

Personally, I think Indonesian authorities have the right to confiscate and destroy any pirate vessles, fishing and otherwise. Just don't kill unarmed people who fully cooperate.