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Minister threatens to stop diesel subsidy for above 5 GT boats
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Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti speaks in a press conference at her ministry recently. She threatened to stop the diesel subsidy allocated for vessels weighing more than 5 gross tons (GT) after she found on Tuesday data manipulation in dozens of fishing boats, previously owned by foreign companies. (Antara Foto/Sigid Kurniawan)
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aritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti has threatened to put a halt to the diesel fuel subsidy allocated for vessels weighing more than 5 gross tons (GT) after she found dozens of fishing boats, previously owned by foreign companies, with their boat capacity data marked down to keep receiving the subsidized fuel.
Susi revealed the manipulation during an inspection at Benoa Port in Bali on Tuesday, during which she found fishing boats that been modified to make them look like local boats. The owners of the ships marked down their sizes from around 50 GT to less than 30 GT.
“This is a crime of data manipulation. All of the perpetrators deserve criminal punishment,” Susi said. “In the future, it’s better for us not to give the subsidy for vessels weighing more than 5 GT [...].”
Currently, vessels weighing more than 30 GT do not receive subsidies for their diesel fuel. Their owners also have to secure permits directly from the government.
Susi said the data manipulation had inflicted losses worth millions of rupiah on the state.
"We forgave them for fishing illegally in our waters. We only asked them to return to their own waters. Now, they have cheated us, manipulating data for their own benefit."
Indonesia Tuna Longline Association secretary-general Dwi Agus Hiswa Putra said 190 boats were re-measured recently, with the association finding that 70 boats had been modified.
Bali Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Agency head Made Gunanja blamed the data changes on the transportation agency. "[...] It is the agency that should deal with the sizes and measurements of vessels." (ebf)
