His Name Is Balaenoptera Ship Which Means Blue Whale, His Job Is To Protect The Savu Sea TNP

JAKARTA - Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono inaugurated a conservation area monitoring vessel belonging to the Kupang National Water Conservation Area (BKKPN). This ship is named Balaenoptera and is a step for the KKP in preserving the marine ecosystem in the Sawu Marine National Park.

"Keep guarding it. If more people come, it can be damaged," said Minister Trenggono when inaugurating the Balaenoptera ship in Kupang, Wednesday, December 1, as written in a press release received by the editors.

The Balaenoptera ship will be used to monitor various activities in the use of marine conservation areas in the Savu Sea, especially for monitoring the ecosystems in it. Another function is to survey protected marine biota such as blue whales, as well as their habitats and coastal ecosystems.

Furthermore, for monitoring the suitability of zoning and responding quickly in handling stranded marine biota.

This ship weighs 11 GT with a speed of up to 31 knots. The ship measures 12 meters x 2.8 meters × 1.3 meters and is capable of carrying up to 12 people.

The name Balaenoptera is taken from the Latin word meaning Blue Whale. The name was used because the icon of the Savu Sea Waters National Park is the Blue Whale. This ship will oversee the operation of Blue Whale tours in the Savu Sea Waters National Park.

The Savu Sea Waters National Park has an area of 3.35 million hectares covering 5 regions and 10 regencies in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. The main conservation targets in this national park are marine mammals, such as turtles, whale sharks, manta rays, coral reefs, and seagrasses.

Head of the Kupang National Water Conservation Area (BKKPN), Imam Fauzi, ensures that the presence of Balaenoptera will further optimize the monitoring of fishery ecosystems in its working area.

"We are trying to keep the Savu Sea ecosystem sustainable. With a maintained ecosystem, we will maintain the health of the sea in this area, in accordance with the KKP's vision of implementing the blue economy principle," he said.