Fishermen in Cilacap, Central Java, have protested against the presence of dozens of coal barges lying at anchor in Teluk Penyu Bay, claiming they are disrupting fishing activities in the area.

The vessels, owned by a supplier of the 600-megawatt coal-fired Karangkandri power plant, are waiting to unload coal at the power station's dock.

"We could understand if only one or two vessels were moored there, but this is dozens," said Atas Munandar, Cilacap head of the Association of Indonesian Fishermen (HNSI).

"I once counted 12 vessels anchored there. This definitely bothers traditional fishermen, because the place where the vessels are moored is where small fishermen seek fish."

He added the presence of the coal barges also obstructed the fishermen's path to deeper waters.

"They're large vessels, each able to carry more than 10 tons of coal. I hope the power station will pay attention for the sake of the fishermen," Atas told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

He added his group had complained about the problem to the plant management, but the company had yet to respond.

"We've been forced to convey the matter to the legislature for help," he said.

There are around 35,000 fishermen in the regency, according to Atas, who depend on the sea for a living.

"Please pay attention to our plight. Fishermen are accustomed to a rough life amid the strong waves. So please don't spark their anger," he warned.

Atas also said he had been busy discussing the issue with various parties over the past week.

"On Saturday, we went to the regency legislature. We hope it can help mediate the problem," he said, adding the council had promised to address the issue that has dragged on for the past month.

The Karangkandri power plant launched the special dock for unloading coal a month ago. It is situated not far from the station, located on Teluk Penyu Beach in Cilacap.

Coal for the station used to be unloaded at Tanjung Intan Port in the city, but high operating costs led the power station management to construct its own dock.

When asked for confirmation, Karangkandri technical manager Sutikno said his office had taken steps to coordinate with the relevant agencies over the complaint.

"We have finalized this and instructed the barges to anchor further out to sea so as not to disturb the fishermen," Sutikno told the Post on Monday.

He added the vessels are not fully the responsibility of the power plant, but also of the local port authority.

"So we asked the port authority to take care of the matter."

He said the power station required around 6,000 tons of coal to run its two turbines daily.

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