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Govt reveals foreign fishing vessels’ tricks to deceive officials
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Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti holds a press conference in Jakarta on June 21, 2016 in response to China's protest against the warning shots fired by the Navy at Chinese fishing vessels. (Antara Foto/Sigid Kurniawan)
T
he Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has exposed three commonly used methods by foreign-flagged ships to deceive officials and keep fishing illegally in the country’s waters. The tricks were discovered during an inspection in Tanjung Benoa, Bali, recently.
The government had banned foreign-flagged ships from fishing in Indonesian territory since last year. To fish legally a foreign crew must de-register their vessel in its country of origin and re-register it in Indonesia before being granted permission to fish in Indonesian waters.
"One trick is to borrow another vessel’s license. We found that was the case in relation to the Fransiska vessel, in which its documentation said the ship was made from wood while in fact it was made from fiberglass," Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said to the press in Jakarta on Monday.
Another trick, she continued, was by adding a wooden layer to the outer body, masking the ship as a locally made vessel. The ministry are currently investigating 27 vessels possibly using this method, who applied for registration in Bali.
A third method was to tell officials that the ship would be sold abroad and was undergoing a de-registration process in its country of origin. But in reality, it was just an excuse to leave Indonesia with hauls of fish without punishment.
"It is possible that there has been 'assistance' from officials. Thus, I have asked the National Police to investigate into such cases," Susi said. (ags)
