An updated map has asserted Indonesia’s sovereignty over contentious territories, unilaterally expanding the country’s borders, but with the entailed risk of drawing protests from neighboring countries.

In the past few years, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration has been irked by numerous illegal fishing incidents involving foreign vessels in Indonesia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), in the resource-rich Natuna waters near the disputed South China Sea (SCS).

After a series of stern measures, such as blowing up seized foreign-flagged vessels, the government has decided to declare its sovereignty over waters within Indonesia’s 200-nautical-mile EEZ north of Natuna.

Under the updated map of Indonesia launched on Friday, the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister renamed the EEZ waters north of the Natuna Islands the “North Natuna Sea,” a change from its previous designation as part of the broader area of the SCS,

The map, signed by 21 ministries and state agencies, was launched after a series of discussions involving Indonesia’s maritime boundaries negotiation team, which had been outgoing since October last year, the deputy coordinating maritime minister for maritime sovereignty, Arif Havas Oegroseno, said.

The name of the North Natuna Sea referred to oil and gas exploration activities in the northern part of the Natuna sea’s continental shelf boundary that use the names North Natuna and South Natuna blocks, Havas said.

“The team agreed to name it the North Natuna Sea in order to provide certainty and a connection between the continental shelf boundary and the waters to its north,” Havas said.

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