T

he Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has seized 14 local and foreign vessels for engaging in illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing practices in Indonesian waters in less than a week.

The seizures were captured during simultaneous operations carried out across the archipelago during Jan. 21-25, conducted by the office of the directorate general for maritime and fisheries resources surveillance.

'€œOur patrol ships captured 14 vessels comprising seven Indonesian-flagged ships and seven foreign fishing vessels,'€ director general for marine and fisheries resources surveillance Asep Burhanuddin said.

Asep added that four ships from Vietnam were caught by the patrolling KM Hiu Macan 001 ship in the Natuna Sea on Jan. 22. Three vessels measuring between 24 and 35 gross tons (GT) were seized with a total of 26 Vietnamese nationals on board. Another vessel, BTH 9611075 TS, measured 75 GT with seven Vietnamese crewmen on board.

'€œAll four fishing ships were brought to the PSDKP [Maritime and Fisheries Monitoring Task Force] station in Pontianak, East Kalimantan, to be legally processed,'€ he said.

Two more vessels from the Philippines were caught in the Sulawesi Sea by KP Hiu Macan Tutul 001 on Jan. 24. On board, patrol officers found four Philippine crewmen on the KM Garuda 5 and another 15 on the KM Garuda 6, also of Philippine nationality. '€œThey were taken to the PSDKP base in Bitung where they are awaiting trial,'€ Asep said.

On Jan. 25, patrol ship KP Hiu 008 captured an 80 GT vessel from Thailand, the KM 026, sailing in the eastern waters of Lhokseumawe, Aceh. The vessel was brought to a PSDKP station in nearby Lampulo, Banda Aceh, Asep continued.

He explained that all seven foreign vessels were caught fishing in Indonesian territory without being able to present the necessary legal documents, and the crew members could face up to six years in prison and a maximum fine of Rp 20 billion as stipulated in Article 93 of Law No. 45/2009.

Meanwhile, the PSDKP also captured seven local vessels during the five-day patrol operation.

Asep revealed that officers had seized two ships, the 26 GT KM Berkat Jaya and the 6 GT KM Galang Permai, on Jan. 21, and found that both ships were not in possession of a certificate of operability (SLO) when they were sailing in waters surrounding Batam, Riau Islands.

'€œThey too were brought to the PSDKP working unit in Batam,'€ he said.

The report included another local ship, the KM Mandiri 777, with 12 Indonesian nationals on board, which had been seized by the authorities on Jan. 24 in the Maluku Sea without an SLO. The individuals are at the PSDKP base in Bitung awaiting trial.

Also on Jan. 24, the authorities seized four Indonesian-flagged ships with a total GT of 128 in waters off Sorong, Papua. As many as 66 Indonesian nationals and 10 Philippine nationals were discovered on board the four vessels. The ships and their crew members are under investigation at the Sorong fisheries landing port for alleged abuse of their fishing permits.

'€œThese operations are a concrete example of what the government aims to do in protecting its natural resources. If not, our waters will be hijacked by foreign poachers, endangering the livelihoods of our fishermen,'€ Asep said.

According to 2014 ministry data, the PSDKP caught 39 vessels, with two under investigation, 19 in advanced negotiations, five being settled, 12 under guidance and one handed over to the police. Sixteen of the vessels were foreign.