KKP Gagalkan Penyalurupan Benecur Senilai Rp30 Miliar Ke Singapura, Pelaku Kabur Usai Kapal Hitak Karang

Illustration - clear lobster seeds. ANTARA/HO-KKP

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) thwarted an attempt to smuggle 300 thousand lobster clear seeds (BBL) or fry worth Rp. 30 billion to Singapore through the waters of Batam, Riau Islands, Sunday, August 28. The Director General of Marine and Fishery Resources Supervision KKP Rear Admiral TNI Adin Nurawaluddin explained that the plan was for the fried shrimp to be brought to Singapore using a speedboat (fast boat) from the east coastal area of Sumatra via Sambu Island in Batam, Riau Islands. "The perpetrators fled, but we can secure speedboats and 65 boxes containing BBL," he said at a press conference monitored online in Jakarta, Antara, Monday, August 29. Furthermore, after the disbursement was carried out, it was found that in each box there were 24 plastic bags containing 200 heads each so that a total of around 300 thousand BBL. After being counted, seen, and sorted, it is known that there are types of sand lobsters and pearl lobsters, with details of 288 thousand sand lobsters and 12 thousand pearl lobsters. "Consumption of sand lobsters per head of Rp. 100,000, and pearl lobsters per head of Rp. 150 thousand, estimated from 300 thousand BBL from two types of lobsters of approximately (the value) of around Rp. 30 billion," he said. Admiral Adin explained that his party received initial information about the smuggling of BBL so that the Blue Shark Rapid Response Unit (URC) 02 team had been monitoring since Sunday morning until the afternoon. However, the smuggling perpetrators are suspected to be aware of the movement of the supervisory ship so they are forced to carry out their actions in the late afternoon. Even though Singapore can only accept the delivery of the BBL until 17.30. Because at 17.30 it was still bright, smugglers waited until it was a bit dark. Until 18:30 it was seen that there was a speedboat moving towards Singapore, but then it turned to Indonesia. Admiral Adin explained that at that time there was a chase between the speedboat of the smuggler and the UrC team of Blue Shark 02, until they arrived in Sambu waters and the speedboat hit a coral on Sambu Island. Unfortunately, the perpetrator fled even though the ship and fry were secured. "The Batam PSDKP base will conduct an in-depth investigation of the perpetrators who fled. We will explore the owner of the speedboat, as well as the information we received from Singapore because the information on the arrival of the ship was officially recorded to Singapore," he added. Referring to the Fisheries Law Article 88, everyone who intentionally includes, issues, procures, distributes, and/or maintains fish that harm the community, cultivates fish, fish resources, and/or the environment of fish resources into and/or outside the area of Indonesian fisheries management shall be punished with a maximum imprisonment of six years and a maximum fine of Rp. 1.5 billion. Admiral Adin said the crime also refers to the Minister of KP number 17 of 2021 which states that lobster cultivation and distribution activities can only be carried out in the territory of the Republic of Indonesia. In the KP Ministerial Regulation, lobsters, as well as cadres and crabs, are prohibited from being cultivated and distributed outside Indonesian territory. He said the ban was carried out in line with the KKP's strategic program to increase the carrying capacity of the environment with environmentally friendly fish cultivation, both marine and coastal cultivation to increase export-value fishery production and domestic fulfillment. "Hopefully, the prohibition of lobster exports will increase domestic lobster cultivation," he said.