SCUFN Agrees To Soekarno Seamount Chain In Banda

The Commander of the Indonesian Navy's Hydro-Oceanography Center (Danpushidrosal) Vice Admiral TNI Nurhidayat shows the location of the Soekarno Seamount Chain underwater mountain series at the Banda/ANTARA Sea Basin

JAKARTA - The Sub-Committee on Undersea Feature Names (SCUFN) approved the name of the underwater feature at the bottom of the Banda Sea, namely Soekarno Seamount Chain, which refers to a series of underwater mountains that span 193 kilometers, 34 kilometers wide, and 4,120 meters high relief.

The Commander of the Indonesian Navy's Hydro-Oceanography Center (Danpushidrosal) Vice Admiral TNI Nurhidayat when met at the Pushidros TNI AL Headquarters, Jakarta, Friday, explained that the name was approved by 12 SCFUN members at the 36th SCUFN Session in Wolongong, Australia, November 10, 2023, to coincide with the commemoration of Heroes' Day in Indonesia.

Danpushidrosal said the findings of the underwater features along with the naming of the findings were the result of a collaboration between the Indonesian Navy's Hydro-Oceanography Center, the Geospatial Information Agency (BIG), and the National Team for the Eradication of Rupa Bumi.

"Soekarno Seamount Chain's underwater mountain series is the underwater mountain feature in Indonesia with the largest dimension that can be found to date," said Nurhidayat as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, November 10.

Nurhidayat explained that the election of Soekarno's name was a form of appreciation to the Proclaimer of Indonesian Independence as well as the 1st president of the Republic of Indonesia.

The first President of the Republic of Indonesia Soekarno, he said, was an Indonesian leader who had a maritime vision, as reflected in one of them when Soekarno set September 23 as National Maritime Day.

The Soekarno Seamount Chain underwater mountain series was discovered by Pushidrosal on June 22, 2022, in the 2022 Jalacitra-II Expedition Banda from June 11, 2022 to June 25, 2022.

KRI Rigel-933, which was deployed for the expedition, found a series of underwater mountains (seamount chain) that stretched to the bottom of the Banda Sea.

"By using a multibeam echosounderkongsberg EM302, KRI Rigel-993 was able to obtain deep-sea batimetry data so that it received full depth data on the underwater mountain series in the Banda Sea," said Danpushydrosal.

The underwater mountain series Soekarno Seamount Chain consists of several mountains, namely Tadu Seamount, Kadola Seamount, Skaro Kecil Seamount, Skaro Moromaho Seamount, Ina Lao Seamount, and Kabaresy Seamount.

The names of the underwater mountains, he said, were deliberately adapted to the local wisdom of the people around the Banda Sea.

"It is a form of appreciation for them," he said.

From the results of the Pushidrosal expedition, Soekarno Seamount Chain is currently printed in the Indonesian Sea Map (PLI) Number 490 and PLI Number 367.

After the recognition from the SCUFN, he continued, the series of underwater mountains that Pushidrosal found were officially listed as Soekarno Seamount Chain, databased by the Organization of Education, Scientific, and Culture of the United Nations (UNESCO) as well as maps of the seabed and world shipping maps.

The SCUFN is a subcommittee under the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) consisting of representatives from UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and International Hydrographic Organization (IHO).

The SCUFN is filled with 12 members in charge of inventory, disseminating, preparing, and maintaining the standardization of the naming of underwater features agreed internationally.

The Indonesian delegation at the 36th SCUFN Meeting in Australia was chaired by the Danpushydrosal Survey and Mapping Assistant for the First Admiral of the TNI, Dyan Primana Sobaruddin.

First Admiral TNI Dyan Primana Sobaruddin, as ordered by Danpushidrosal, served as an observer at a routine SCUFN meeting this year.

Not only that, Pushidrosal also has representatives in SCUFN, namely Marine Colonel (P) Dr. Oke Dwiyana, who is a member of SCUFN for the period 2023'2028. SCUFN members have the authority to approve or not approve the proposed name of the underwater feature from countries.