TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Dredging, reclamation firms work to mend image
Manmade islets: Security personnel inspect the reclamation of islet C and D in Jakarta in this file photo taken in 2016
Change Size
M
anmade islets: Security personnel inspect the reclamation of islet C and D in Jakarta in this file photo taken in 2016. Local dredging and reclamation companies recently established the Indonesian Dredging and Reclamation Association. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
Dredging and reclamation companies are often seen as environmentally unfriendly and portrayed negatively in the media. In fact, for Indonesia as an archipelagic country, such activities are quite needed to make waterways for sea connectivity and seaport development, among other things.
Earlier this September, contractors involved in dredging and reclamation works officially inaugurated the establishment of the Indonesian Dredging and Reclamation Association (IDRA), which would serve as a business forum and lobbying group for them.
IDRA chairman Erick Limin, who is also the managing director of Limin Marine & Offshore, said the association would not only serve as a communication platform for its 104 members, but also as a lobbying body to promote the business image, healthy competition and good practices in dredging and reclamation works.
Erick said local dredging and reclamation companies still faced many challenges such as an unfriendly business climate, unsupportive regulations, unhealthy competition due to the domination of foreign companies and a lack of respect from the people, who still had a negative perception of dredging and reclamation works.
“That is why the association was established. As of today, many stakeholders are still unfamiliar with dredging and reclamation works. The people and the media still see dredging and reclamation works negatively,” he said during the inauguration of the association on Sept. 6.
Dredging and reclamation works, Erick said, could not be separated from infrastructure development in Indonesia as an archipelagic country. “On the land, we have roads for vehicles to travel on, in the sea we have what we call waterways, shipping channels so big ships can pass through. Dredging works are needed to take the sediment from the sea that prevents big ships from reaching the seaport area,” he said.
Erick acknowledged that dredging and reclamation could cause environmental problems if it was not carried out well. However, the negative environmental impact can be mitigated if the works are based on good dredging and reclamation practices. Thus, one of the association’s missions is to promote good practices among its members, he added.
“Dredging and reclamation works, if carried out properly, can help many countries, such as Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore where city expansion is carried out through the reclamation of the sea,” he added.
Erick also said the public often saw reclamation and dredging as activities that damaged the environment, while many reclamation projects such as that in Makassar, South Sulawesi, had been carried out successfully without causing any harm to the environment.
Reclamation and dredging works are governed by a number of regulations such as Government Regulation No. 17/2008 on navigation, Presidential Regulation No.122/2012 and Transportation Ministerial Regulation No. 125/2018 on dredging and reclamation.
Jurismahendra, the deputy chairman of the IDRA, who is also the senior manager of PT China Harbour Indonesia, said the dredging and reclamation business in Indonesia was quite promising due to large number of ports in the country.
Dredging works should, for example, be regularly carried out in a number of ports in the country, such as those in Jakarta, Jambi, Palembang in South Sumatra and Surabaya in East Java where the seaports are located in areas with a large amount of sediment.
“Between 20 million to 30 million cubic meters of sediment needs to be dredged up from Indonesian ports every year,” said Juris.
He also said the reclamation was also important for infrastructure development in coastal areas. In many areas on Java Island for example, reclamation was needed for power plant construction, which was mostly located in coastal areas, he said. Many reclamation works are also carried out to build infrastructure facilities for tourism and commercial purposes.
Despite the potential in the country’s dredging and reclamation business, Juris said contractors were still hampered by the lack of equipment with advanced technology and technical capacity, especially for local contractors. Due to such technology setbacks, many local dredging and reclamation companies are unable to compete with foreign players.
Through the IDRA, local and foreign players in dredging and reclamation works are expected to be able to form a synergy and can work together in realizing the business potential, he said, adding that the association would also serve as a lobbying body to bring up the aspirations of its members especially in the establishment of regulatory frameworks in the dredging and reclamation business.
Juris acknowledged that some of the existing regulations still hampered the business because their formulation did not involve the business players.
At present, there are a number of huge seaport and airport projects that need dredging and reclamation works such as the development of Patimban Seaport in West Java, the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport expansion and the development of North Bali International Airport in Bali.
