T

he government has promised to take stern measures against all foreign ships operating illegally in Indonesian waters and borders.

Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan made the statement in Batam on Friday following the detention of four Singaporean ships over the last few weeks for entering Indonesian territorial waters without the correct documentation.

'€œAll [foreign] vessels operating illegally in Indonesian waters will be put under arrest. The detained vessels will not be bombed or sunk, but will be processed in court,'€ Jonan said on the sidelines of his visit aboard two Singaporean vessels '€” the DM 55 and the Sea Sparrow I '€” that were arrested by officers of the sea directorate general on Tuesday.

According to the minister, his ministry had simply applied existing international regulations for the capture of the two vessels.

He also stressed that his ministry would uphold regulations in border areas as standard. '€œThere will be no special operation as the regulations are already in place; we will just apply them,'€ he said.

The minister said he was unconcerned about Singapore'€™s refusal to recognize that the two vessels were registered in that country, adding that the presence of the ships'€™ captains was enough to process the trial.

Jonan also promised to thoroughly investigate and take strict action against any officers in his ministry involved in the illegal operation of foreign vessels supplying foreign ships anchored in the area.

The two pilot boats, which were operating illegally in the Malacca Strait, Singapore Strait and waters off Batam, were intercepted by Indonesian coastguard (KPLP) patrol boats on Tuesday morning. The ministry said that the Indonesian government had incurred considerable loss in revenue from the illegal operation of the Singaporean pilot boats.

The KN 336 Batam patrol boat intercepted the two pilot boats, owned by Singapore-based DM Sea Logistics, as they were guiding a tanker in the Malacca Strait on the Indonesian side of the border.

Ships anchoring in Indonesian waters, or those entering the Singapore Port or passing through the Malacca Strait, require the service of pilot boats, whose tariffs range from US$5,000 to $10,000 per trip. The limited number of Indonesian pilot boats on the border has been exploited by the neighboring country to operate in Indonesian territory.

Director general of sea transportation Bobby R. Mamahit said his office would immediately prepare for legal proceedings against the two vessels.

'€œInvestigators from the immigration and customs offices are currently finalizing the investigation process. We will hand case files to the prosecutor'€™s office as soon as possible. We intend to resolve the case quickly,'€ said Bobby.

Bobby added that Singapore had filed a complaint with the Transportation Ministry over the vessel seizure, but called for the matter not to be overstated.

On March 8, two Singapore-flagged vessels sailing from Batam to their country of origin were arrested for not being equipped with sailing documents. The BT ASL Glory tugboat, which was towing the BG AST 183 barge and carrying a crane in Batam waters, were intercepted by Riau Islands Water Police patrol boats.

Stringent measures have been enacted by the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry to deter illegal fishing by foreign ships, with a policy of sinking beginning in December. The government said Indonesia suffered annual losses of some Rp 300 trillion as a result of illegal fishing, as 5,400 fishing vessels were operating illegally in Indonesian waters with little response from previous administrations.