In Order To Become A Fish Habitat, 2 Vietnamese Foreign Ships In Batam Were Buried With Sand Until They Sank

The process of sinking two foreign Vietnamese-flagged ships in Batam (ANTARA/Yude)

BATAM - The Batam District Attorney (Kejari) sank two Vietnamese-flagged foreign ships on Galang Island, Batam City, Riau Islands, Friday, July 29.

These two ships were sunk by using sand and ballast for the purpose of developing fish habitats and being environmentally friendly.

"We sink it so that it becomes a new place for fish habitat to gather and it is maintained by the presence of environmentally friendly coral reefs. The choice of drowning is so that there is no pollution rather than burning," said Head of the Batam Kajari Herlina Setyorini in Batam, quoted from Antara, Friday, July 29.

Herlina explained that the sinking of the two Vietnamese-flagged foreign vessels was carried out after obtaining permanent legal force from the Riau High Court and the Tanjung Pinang High Court, which in their decision related to the case of the seized ships being destroyed.

However, he revealed that the extermination of two Vietnamese-flagged foreign fishing vessels from the 2011 case was delayed due to legal remedies and the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There are legal efforts being made so that the decision from the Riau High Court in Pekanbaru, was only set in 2021 so it was delayed. In addition, there were considerations yesterday that there was still the COVID-19 pandemic, so we have not been allowed to carry out due to physical distancing and other considerations," he said. .

Herlina added that the crew (ABK) and the captain of the ship, totaling seven people, had been sent back to their country first.