Illegal Fishing Rises In The Natuna Sea, KKP Adds Used Supervisory Vessels From Japan

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) will add one class I monitoring vessel from Japan.

The addition of one 63-meter monitoring vessel is targeted to strengthen the supervision of marine and fishery resources in the Government Fisheries Management Area of the Republic of Indonesia (WPPNRI) 711-North Natuna Sea.

Director General of Marine and Fishery Resources Supervision (PSDKP) Adin Nurawaluddin said the length of the ship reached 63-meter with a width of 9 meters, and the draft which reached 5 meters.

"So, if the crew of the supervisory ship operates with this ship in the middle of the sea, the stability is very high," he said in a press release, Friday, July 21.

Adin added that the former Japanese ship, previously known as Shirahagi Maru, was in the process of being refined at Nigata Shipbuilding and Repair.

The ship's refinement is expected to be completed in September 2023.

He explained that the improvement of the ship includes repairs to ship buildings, machinery, propulsion systems, and communication navigation equipment, decks, and accommodation.

"The plan is for us to name KP. ORCA 06. Regarding the placement plan, after considering the condition of the monitoring vessel, the area of water that must be reached, the number of fishing vessels, conservation areas, and the potential for violations that occur, we will place KP. ORCA 6 in Zone 1 of Industrial Arrest, North Natuna Sea," said Adin.

According to Adin, the North Natuna Sea has its own challenges in its implementation of supervision.

The reason is, with an area of about 703,000 square kilometers, the KKP must supervise more than 16,000 fishing vessels that make fishing in these waters.

Not to mention, the waters of the North Natuna Sea bordering neighboring countries have made the North Natuna Sea the highest potential for violations compared to other taxpayers.

Based on KKP data in 2022, there were 23 fishing vessels arrested by the KKP throughout 2022 for illegal fishing.

Therefore, Adin hopes that the North Natuna Sea can be free from illegal fishing perpetrators.

It is known that the ship to be delivered has a much higher cruising capacity, so it is able to carry out surveillance in Natuna waters with a longer duration than the ships owned by the KKP so far.

"According to the direction of the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Mr. Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, supervision in the field is the key to the success of the implementation of measurable fishing (PIT). For this reason, we continue to oversee the development of the addition of a fleet of surveillance vessels, so that ideal surveillance targets can be met gradually," he added.