Seafarers Considered To Play A Role As The Economy's Backbone

Director General of Sea Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation Arif Toha (left). (Photo: Doc. Antara)

BALI - Directorate General of Sea Transportation (Ditjen Hubla) of the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) said that sailors are key workers who have an important role as the backbone of the economy.

This was said by Arif when giving a speech at the opening of the shipping safety campaign in the framework of World Seafarers' Day 2023 with the theme Oceans Worth Protecting in Kuta, Badung Regency, Bali.

"We agree that sailors are key workers who have an important role as the backbone of the economy of a country," said Director General of Sea Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation Arif Toha as quoted by Antara, Sunday, June 25.

According to him, the theme is a derivative of the 2023 World Seafarers' Day theme carried by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), namely Seafarers Contribution to Protecting the Marine Environment.

Arif said the Oceans Worth Protection theme aims to raise awareness of the importance of shipping safety and maritime protection in Indonesia.

"Remember that there are still frequent marine pollution, especially in Bintan there bordering Singapore, there is almost always an oil spill. Therefore, I ask friends who know about the oil spill to report immediately," said Arif.

Therefore, he said, the Directorate General of Hubla invites all parties, starting from regulators, operators, and the public using marine transportation services to play an active role in maintaining water and marine.

He revealed that there are several contributions that can be made, including increasing awareness of the importance of shipping safety and working together in reducing marine pollution, including from plastic waste which is a serious threat to marine life in Indonesia.

On this occasion, the Directorate General of Hubla also gave awards to two Indonesian heroines, namely awards for female sailors on pioneer ships and awards for female sailors on passenger ships.

"On this auspicious occasion, the Indonesian government through the Directorate General of Sea Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation gave appreciation to the female seafarers who have made a big contribution in realizing connectivity to remote areas of the archipelago," said Arif.

He said Indonesia was proud to have tough female sailors who were not afraid to hit the waves and storms in order to bring our brothers and sisters back to their area.

"Also delivering logistics necessities to the 3TP area (restricted, remote, outermost and border)," said Arif.

The shipping safety campaign activity in the framework of World Seafarers' Day 2023 is a routine work program from the Secretariat of the Directorate General of Hubla through the organization and public relations as an effort to improve and ensure the implementation of safe, comfortable, and safe sea transportation activities throughout Indonesian waters.

For this year, this activity collaborates with Women in Maritime Indonesia or WIMA Indonesia.