KKP Tightens Supervision To Prevent Lobster Seed Smuggling

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) has tightened supervision and action against the smuggling of clear lobster seeds (BBL) in the land and sea sectors. This was done through joint operations at Merak Port, Banten, on Monday, December 18.

Previously, the KKP through the Directorate General of Marine and Fishery Resources Supervision (PSDKP) had announced that the joint operation of supervision and prosecution of BBL smuggling throughout Indonesia had begun from November to December 2023.

"The operation codenamed Lobster Sakti involves the Navy (TNI AL), the Indonesian National Police (Polri), the Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla), the Ministry of Finance (Kemenkeu), the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub), and the Indonesian Quarantine Agency (Barantin)," said Director General of Marine and Fishery Resources Supervision (PSDKP) Adin Nurawaluddin in a written statement, quoted Tuesday, December 19.

Adin said that based on findings in the field, the modus operandi carried out by BBL smugglers in carrying out their actions includes air, sea and land routes.

He added that the operation at Merak Port, Banten, was a concrete step to block the distribution of BBL with the modus operandi of land and sea routes through sea crossings between Banten Province and Lampung Province.

"On the air route, we have checked joint operations at Soekarno Hatta International Airport, I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, and Juanda International Airport. Today, we are holding an Operation Ceremony at Merak Port, Banten, to check real strength and strengthen coordination of ongoing joint operations," he said.

So far, said Adin, operations against the thwarting of BBl smuggling have been carried out partially by each agency. Based on KKP data, throughout 2023, around 1,347,986 BBLs have been saved if converted into around Rp. 183 billion in state losses.

Especially at Merak Port, based on 2021 data, 90 thousand fuel smuggling has been successfully thwarted. Adin indicated that Merak Ferry Port is the main route for BBL smuggling as a distribution route from Java Island to Sumatra, before being continued to the location of the departure for smuggling abroad.

"After going through Merak Port, the BBL smuggling trip was continued to Bakauheni, Lampung. Then, heading to Palembang to the end point towards border waters in Riau, Jambi, or Riau Islands which were then sent to neighboring countries, namely Singapore and Malaysia," he said.

It is known that currently the main destination country for smuggling BBL is Vietnam. This is because Vietnam needs BBL as a cultivation commodity in its country as many as 600 million individuals with a value of up to 3 billion US dollars whose source of lobster clear seeds comes from Indonesia.