RI considering request for extended participation in maritime task force

Antara News, Saturday, November 21, 2009 04:38 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government is considering the UN request for the Indonesian military (TNI)`s extended participation in the Maritime Task Force at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

"It is true that we have received a request from the UN but we are still considering it," TNI Chief of Staff for General Affairs Vice Admiral Didik Heru Purnomo said at a function here on Friday to greet the arrival of Indonesian warship KRI Diponegoro-365 from joining the task force in Lebanon for six months.

He said his side would thoroughly evaluate TNI`s activities in the UN peace mission including in Lebanon. "We will first evaluate the activities as a whole. We will consider everything."

But he added that the TNI would prepare everything if the government decided to continue the TNI`s participation in the task force.

KRI Diponegoro-365 arrived in Indonesia on Thursday after six-month mission in Lebanon. The UN has asked Indonesia to extend the warship`s mission for another six months or replace it with other warship.

During its mission based on UN Resolution No. 1701 KRI Diponegoro-365 carried out two main tasks, including maritime interdiction operations (MIO), namely to help the Lebanese Armed Forces prevent the smuggling of illegal weapons and increase its capacity.

Deputy Naval Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Moeklas Sidiq meanwhile said Indonesian warship KRI Frans Kaisiepo was most likely to replace KRI Diponegoro-365 in the mission.

Both KRI Diponegoro-365 and KRI Frans Kaisiepo are Dutch-made sigma class corvettes.

Irish business to manage Sabang port

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 11/19/2009 1:10 PM

After years of uncertain negotiations, the Ireland-based Dublin Port Company has signed an 18-month business contract with the government to take control of the management of Sabang international port in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam.

Representatives from Aceh administration and Dublin Port signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2006 to jointly develop the port but no significant developments took place since then.

The agreement was signed on Nov. 13, allowing Dublin Port - through its partner HD Asia Maritime - to take part in the port's management, replacing state-owned port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) I.

Under this agreement, the world's 12th largest port operator would handle all the port's operations and improve facilities, including the container yard, storage facilities, warehouses, and cargo terminals.

"We will also provide top-class security services for the port's customers and carry out marketing promotions to bring more ships to Sabang," said Bernardus R. Djonoputro, the CEO of consulting company HD Asia Advisory, HD Asia Maritime's parent company, during a media conference Wednesday.

The appointment of Dublin Port came as the port is embarking on a massive overhaul that could cost up to Rp 8.8 trillion (US$896 million) up until 2015 at the latest.

Sabang port is operating two piers, each is 180 meters long and 12 meters wide, capable of accommodating ships with dead weight capacity of up to 10,000 tons, with the administration now preparing to build a third pier stretching 423 meters using Rp 1 trillion of state funds.

"The construction of the third pier will finish in 2011," Sabang Area Management Body (BPKS) deputy chairman Nasruddin Daud said.

The final target is to upgrade the port with a total of 2,617 meters of piers, with the government expecting foreign investors to take part.

One of them could be Dublin Port, Bernardus said, adding that the operator was ready to disburse up to $600 million on upgrading.

"We'll see what will happen after this first phase of cooperation. It's very possible for us to invest in developing the port's infrastructure."

Sabang port is 1.4 kilometers in length and 0.8 kilometers wide with a one hectare container yard.

"Today, goods are docked at Belawan port in Medan and carried by trucks to reach Banda Aceh, 620 km away," Nasruddin added.

Banda Aceh is located about 35 miles south of Sabang. "We can save a lot of money if the goods can directly reach Sabang," he said. (bbs)

Indonesia To Build World's Longest Bridge

BERNAMA

JAKARTA, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- Indonesia would begin constructing the world's would-be longest bridge in Sunda Strait connecting two main islands of Sumatra and Java in 2014, as an effort to boost infrastructure development in the southeast Asian largest economy.

The 30-km long bridge is expected to boost economy in both islands, particularly in Sumatra island, in which over 80 percent of the country's about 230 million population live, said Public Works Minister Joko Kirmanto said here Thursday.

"The bridge could become a landmark of Indonesia," Antara news agency cited the minister as saying.

Kirmanto said that that Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had asked him to establish a task force team to analyze the mega project.

"We expect the construction would start in 2014. The President has instructed the public minister to set up a team which will analyze the project within the first 100 days of the cabinet work, " he told reporters after a cabinet meeting at the State Palace here.

"As the technology of bridge has developed, the bridge could be a land mark of Indonesia," said Kirmanto.

The project could cost over 100,000 trillion rupiah (some US$10.6 billion), according to a pre-feasibility study.

"The team would count the real cost of the project and to determine the source of the funds. It may be from the state budget or private sector, or the combination of them," he said.

In January 2010, the team would start working, said Kirmanto.

According to the pre-feasibility study, the bridge would have the longest span in the world, about 220 meters.

President Yudhoyono, who was re-elected for his second term on July 8, has promised to boost development of infrastructure during his second term to reach an annual economic growth of at least 7 percent at the end of his term in 2014.

In June, Indonesia completed the building of the longest bridge in Southeast Asia with about 5 kilometers in length, connecting East Java and its island of Madura.

Experts had predicted that the sea ports in the strait could not facilitate the growing economic activities in the two islands within ten years.

Related Article:

Construction of Sunda Bridge may take 10 years

Jakarta Heading for Watery Grave, Experts Warn

The Jakarta Globe, Ulma Haryanto

Floods are an annual event in many parts of Jakarta. (JG Photo/ Afriadi Hikmal)

At least a quarter of Jakarta would be underwater by 2050 if current rates of development projects and groundwater harvesting continued unabated, a climate expert warned on Wednesday.

Armi Susandi, a climatologist from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), said the northern part of Jakarta would most likely be permanently submerged by 2015.

“I am talking about Cilincing, Muara Baru and Tanjung Priok”, he told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday.

“Meanwhile the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport [located in Tangerang, Banten] will be underwater by 2030.”

In a 2009 ITB study on land subsidence and urban development in Jakarta, Indonesian and Japanese researchers showed that an increase in population and urban development activities in the capital was driving the subsidence because of the sharp increase in built-up areas and decrease in natural green spaces.

The problem has been exacerbated by factories, hotels and wealthy residents drilling their own deep-water bores to bypass the city’s water grid, sucking out the groundwater and causing further subsidence. Jakarta’s limited pipe network for clean water means that about 40 percent of residents have to pump their own groundwater.

The soft ground that makes up most parts of Jakarta, the weight of ever-expanding road infrastructure and buildings and the excessive exploitation of groundwater all play a part in the city’s subsidence.

In 2005, Armi, together with ITB oceanographer Safwan Hadi, created a simulation that suggested that by 2050 a quarter of Jakarta would be submerged by the sea.

“Sudirman and Kuningan areas will still be there by 2030,” he said, in an apparent reference to media reports on Wednesday that half of the city, including Sudirman in Central Jakarta and Kuningan in South Jakarta, would be inundated by seawater by 2030.

Armi explained that his simulation had used a spatial and periodical projection of the depreciation of the ground level in Jakarta versus the rising sea level. The simulation utilized what he called a “digital evaluation model,” which he applied to the Greater Jakarta area to project the impact if nothing was done between 2005 to 2050, using 5-year intervals.

According to his simulation, Merdeka Square and its surrounding areas in Central Jakarta would be under water by 2080. “So Sudirman and Kuningan should also be underwater in about that year,” Armi said.

The parameters used for his simulation were an average rise in sea levels of 0.57 centimeters per year, and a ground level subsidence rate of 0.8 centimeters per year. “So the average sinking rate will be 1.37 centimeters a year,” he continued.

However, the World Bank in 2008 said that Jakarta was sinking by as much as 4 to 10 centimeters annually.

Armi argued that the projection he made was according to actual sea and coastline conditions, and with the use of global positioning to measure the rate of sinking in Jakarta.

Despite his less-catastrophic prediction, Armi still called on the government to solve the problem. “Jakarta has to adapt permanently by building sea walls along the coastlines of North Jakarta. The walls should be built by 2015,” he said.

The wave breakers currently being built in North Jakarta, he said, would only help to prevent tidal surges during extreme weather conditions.

“What we need are sea walls,” he said, adding that the walls should be at least two to three meters above sea level and six meters thick to be able to protect the city from the ocean, which he predicted could rise by one meter by 2100. Ulma Haryanto

Some 180 foreign fishing vessels impounded in 2009

Antara News, Thursday, November 19, 2009 04:09 WIB

Vietnanmese fishing vessels were captured for poaching in Indonesia waters by the Ministry of Maritime and Fisheries Affairs (DKP) for capturing in Pontianak (11/18). (ANTARA/Jessica Wuisang)Pontianak (ANTARA News) - A total of 180 foreign fishing vessels were intercepted by the Maritime Resources and Fisheries Directorate General (P2SDKP) in cooperation with the Navy and Police in 2009, a senior official said.

P2SDKP Director General Aji Sularso said here on Wednesday that the 180 foreign fishing boats were captured for poaching in Indonesian waters.

Code-named "Operasi Samudra Lestari 2009", the operations involved four units of vessels of the Ministry of Maritime and Fisheries Affairs (DKP), five warships of the Navy, four units of the police and a maritime reconnaissance aircraft. The operations were conducted mainly in Natuna and South China Seas, he said.

He said that the operations successfully saved a loss of about Rp720 billion to the state, based on an estimate that one vessel would cause a loss of Rp4 billion.

Most of the fishing boats which were taken into custody came from Thailand, Vietnam, China and Malaysia, he said.

Dozens of RI and Philipines patrol boats hold joint exercise

Antara News, Thursday, November 19, 2009 09:15 WIB

Manado, N Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - A total of 13 patrol boats took part in the Indonesian-Philippines marine police joint exercise in dealing with transnational crimes, in Bitung waters for three days.

"The patrol boats include one type B unit from the Police Headquarters, one type C, four type C2 and five type C3 from the North Sulawsi police," North Sulawesi marine police director, Senior commissioner Tubuh Masyareh said on the sidelines of a rehearsal of a Law Enforcement Maritime Exercise (Marlex) between Indonesian and Philippines police in Bitung waters here Wednesday.

The joint exercise was aimed to protect the territorial border waters between Indonesia and the Philippines combatting transnational crime, he said, adding that the exercise would last from November 17 to 19.

Meanwhile, head of public relations division of the North Sulawesi police Adjunct Senior Commissioner Beny Bella said the joint exercise involved 80 police personnel, including 27 Philippine police officers.

Bella did not mention whether or not it was the first-ever joint exercise between matrine police patrols of the two countries.

Lok Baintan, the Last Floating Market

Kompas, BANJARMASIN POST/ FIKRIA HIDAYAT, TUESDAY, 17 NOVEMBER 2009 | 7:00 PM

The floating market of Lok Baintan village, South Borneo. The last of its kind.

(Complete photos at: KOMPAS IMAGES)

KOMPAS PHOTO STORY - The middle-aged lady rowed her boat, parting the morning mist along the river. Fresh oranges and local vegetables tigarun were piled on her boat. A few other ladies followed, and their jukungs - the local name for their little boats - marched, each carrying the harvest goods to be sold at the floating market of Lok Baintan village, in Sungai Tabuk subdistrict, Banjar Regency, South Borneo (Kalimantan).

November coincides with the oranges harvest season. The oranges were so abundant that the villagers sold them in heaps. They also sold traditional cakes, food, and basic daily needs such as rice, coconut oil, and even clothes. The morning market was crowded.

To reach this floating market, it took an hour's journey through the river from Banjarmasin city, South Borneo. The land route can be taken by motor-bike, with the same length of time, but the river-way was more scenic.

The market started around 8 AM on a part of the Martapura River. The market came to life as the merchants came and rowed their jukungs, one by one converging on one spot. The unique part was that the market moved in line with the river's current, and the hustle bustle of it peaked around 9 AM.

Transactions were made on the river. It was a little hard to tell apart buyers and sellers, because the merchants seemed to be buyers also at some point.

The best time to see the radiance of this market is during the orange or rambutan (nephelium fruit) season around September to December. Unfortunately the fruit seasons are often uncertain because the rain and dry seasons are now also unpredictable.

But this doesn't mean we can't visit the market beyond those times. But please note that during the rice harvesting season the market tends to be quieter, because most of the people and merchants spend more time on the paddy fields.

The uncertain seasons, the quality and quantity of harvests, all these factors affect the market. Aside from that the market also suffers from the culture shifting that looks toward the western culture.

The floating market in this village in the last one in South Borneo. Markets like this used to be numerous, but now they're extinct. Even the city of Banjarmasin used to have the floating market of Kuin, but that has been replaced by the regular land market. A lot of tourists visiting Kuin must bear their disappointment for not witnessing that exotic water-surface market.

The disappearance of traditional markets in the "thousand river" region is triggered by the flourishing land culture, which is supported by the regional developments that are always land-oriented. The river-ways and canals are perishing, replaced by the ease of land transport. The people that used to have jukungs, are now proud to own motor-bikes or cars.

Luckily the market in Lok Baintan village is coping. That village is the heir of the greatest river-culture legacy in South Borneo. The river still supports the local economy. (FIA/C17-09)

Editor: jimbon

RI stepping up efforts to fight illegal fishing

Antara News, Tuesday, November 17, 2009 18:13 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry (DKP) is working closely with the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs to fight illegal, unregulated, unreported (IUU) fishing practices in the country, a cabinet minister said.

"I have met with the coordinating minister. He promised to consult the president over the efforts to combat IUU fishing practices," DKP Minister Fadel Muhammad said.

Fadel said that with a close cooperation in cracking down on IUU fishing practices with the coordinating minister, the arrests of poachers in Indonesian waters or in Indonesia`s exclusive economic zones could be made by the navy officers or by the water police.

He hoped that civilian investigators (PPNS) of the DKP would concentrate on supervising marine resources such as fish and coral reefs.

"But it would all depend on the president. We will wait and see its developments later. What I want is that our supervision should be directed on this so that I can focus on handling the welfare of fishermen," he added.

He said that the problem of restricted supervision facilities to crack down on IUU fishing practices would be resolved together with the coordinating minister.

The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DKP) under its new chief, Fadel Muhammad, has come up with an ambitious plan to raise fish production by over 300 percent and `transform` the country into the world`s biggest fish production center in the coming five years.

"Indonesia should become a center of fish production so that it could control the world`s fish trade," the minister said on Monday.

Sailing to my islands

The Jakarta Post | Mon, 11/16/2009 12:18 PM

A Phinisi boat (right) with a 24-member expedition team is officially dispatched from the Losari beach in Makassar, South Sulawesi on Sunday to carry out a geographic and population survey on 28 outer islands in eastern Indonesia. The expedition will last for four months and cover a sailing distance of about 8,000 kilometers. JP/Andi Hajramurni

RI targeting position of world`s biggest fish producer

Antara News, Monday, November 16, 2009 19:50 WIB

Gorontalo (ANTARA News) - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DKP) has set a target to make Indonesia a world biggest fish producer in 2012, a cabinet minister said.

DKP Minister Fadel Muhammad said here on Monday that the plan to make Indonesia a world biggest fish producer was part of the DKP targets in its coming years` work programs.

"Indonesia should become a center of fish production so that it could control the world`s fish trade," the minister said.

He said that Indonesia had the marine and fresh water potentials which were not possessed by all countries. Thus, it would not face significant barriers to achieve the target.

"Facilities at fish auction markets, access roads and fishermen`s fuel tanks to meet the need for fishing activities must also be improved and be made complete," the minister said.

Besides, he said, his ministry was also adopting a special program called `minapolitan`, a program which combines agriculture and fisheries aimed at raising the income of farmers and fishermen.

The minapolitan scheme could be carried out, among others, with a `mina padi` program where fields were planted with rice while at the same time were also sowed with fish seeds so that the fields could yield rice and fish at the same time.

New Navy chief to prioritize allowance for border soldiers

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 11/14/2009 1:10 PM

Indonesian navy officials welcome the arrival of KRI Hasanuddin 366 warship at Tanjung Priok port, Jakarta (1/29). A new 1,600-ton warship manufactured in the Netherlands was armed with surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine missiles and electronic warfare equipment. (ANTARA Photo/Fouri Gesang Sholeh/kim)

Newly appointed Navy Chief of Staff Vice Adm. Agus Suhartono said he would prioritize the payment of allowances for soldiers stationed in border areas as part of the current administration's 100-day program.

"We want to ensure success for the government's program of providing allowances for border soldiers," Agus said Friday after a handover ceremony at the Navy's Eastern Fleet pier in Surabaya, according to news portal detik.com.

Agus is replacing Adm. Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno.

"The amount of the allowance is still being discussed and pending a presidential decree," said Agus, who was previously the Defense Ministry inspector general.

"We can set *the amount* as a guide for the Defense Ministry. We are also still determining the number of Navy personnel eligible for the allowance," he added.

Agus expected the disbursement would be able to begin in 2010.

He said eligible personnel were those currently safeguarding the 12 outermost islands and deployed under the aegis of the Indonesian Military's (TNI) operation.

Agus was installed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday at the State Palace.

The Army chief of staff position was transferred from Gen. Agustadi Sasongko Purnomo to Lt. Gen. George Toisutta on Wednesday while the Air Force chief of staff role was transferred from Marshal Subandrio to Vice Marshal Imam Sufaat on Thursday.

Both George and Imam attended the handover ceremony, which was led by TNI chief Gen. Djoko Santoso. Also attending the ceremony were East Java Governor Soekarwo and other high-ranking provincial officials.

In his address, Djoko said such handovers were usual procedures within the TNI, although they held significant and strategic meanings.

"The duty rotation mechanism involves not only a procedural mechanism but also a more substantive mechanism emphasizing the TNI's continuous development as the country's main defense component," he was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.

"This will also inspire renewed spirits and fresh ideas which are projected to improve organizational performance."

Djoko also emphasized that the Navy should work toward a zero-accident program like the other two TNI services.

"The state budget is still limited to providing weapons for the TNI," he said.

"We cannot use the insufficient budget as an excuse for not achieving a high level of professionalism and zero accident rate," he added.

Indonesia has a defense budget of Rp 33.6 trillion (US$3.57 billion) this year and plans to increase the budget to Rp 40.6 trillion in 2010.

As in the Army and Air Force, most of the Navy's inventory is outdated, although there have been procurements of several new vessels.

The Navy has purchased four Sigma-class corvettes from the Netherlands and four landing platform docks (LPD) from South Korea.

While the four corvettes were built in the Dutch Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding shipyard, two of the LPDs were constructed in South Korea and the other two were built at state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL's facilities in Surabaya.

Indonesia is also considering the purchase of new submarines to add to its fleet of two German-made U-209 submarines, first commissioned in 1981.

Meanwhile, South Korea has agreed to grant Indonesia 10 LVTP-7A1 amphibious assault vehicles for the Marine Corps.

The Navy has suffered from a number of recent accidents. A TB-10 Tobago trainer airplane was forced to make an emergency landing in the Silandak River estuary in Semarang, Central Java, on April 28 due to engine problems.

The Navy also lost an Australian-made Nomad transport aircraft on Sept. 7 in Nunukan, East Kalimantan, killing one Navy personnel and three civilians.

In Dec. 30, 2007, another Nomad crashed in Sabang waters in Aceh killing three Navy personnel and leaving two others missing.

Govt plans to increase fishery production by 300 pct

Antara News, Friday, November 13, 2009 20:23 WIB

Gorontalo (ANTARA News) - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DKP) is planning to increase the country`s fishery production by 300 percent next year, a cabinet minister said.

DKP Minister Fadel Muhammad said here on Friday Indonesia was the fourth biggest producer country for marine and fishery products in the world, after china, Peru and the United States.

The minister said that in order to maintain its position as the fourth biggest fish producer country, Indonesia was planning to increase its fish production by 300 percent in 2009.

For the purposes, the DKP will hold a hearing with the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission IV on maritime and fishery affairs on November 16, 2009.

The maritime affairs and fishery ministry, he said, hoped that the House of Representatives would approve the budget the DKP would propose so that the programs prepared to achieve the target of raising fish production by 300 percent would proceed on time.

Fadel Muhammad said that his ministry had selected 56 regions in 33 provinces to transformed as fish production enters as a pilot project for the programs.

Maluku`s historical sites being restored for Sail Banda 2010

Antara News, by Otniel Tamindael, Friday, November 13, 2009 08:15 WIB

Foreign tourists enjoy sunset at Ambon Bay in Maluku Province..
(ANTARA/ Jimmy Ayal, Jakarta)

(ANTARA News) - The Maluku provincial administration is preparing for Sail Banda 2010 by, among other things, restoring all historical sites in Banda and Ambon.

"We have started restoring all historical sites in Banda and Ambon in our effort to make them more attractive to the participants of Sail Banda 2010," the chief of Maluku`s culture and tourism office, Florence Sahusilawane, said in Ambon recently.

After the success of the Sail Bunaken 2009 in Manado, North Sulawesi, the central government had become keen on organizing a similar international maritime event in Maluku.

The central government`s plan received a positive response from the Maluku provincial administration which immediately held a coordination meeting with the regional culture and tourism, maritime affairs and fisheries, and transportation offices to make the necessary preparations for the event.

Sail Banda 2010 was actually the brainchild of former Maritime and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi, according to Alex Retraubun, director general of coastal area and small island affairs at the maritime and fisheries ministry.

Besides the Amsterdam and Victoria forts in Ambon, other historic sites being refurbished and spruced up are Fort Duurstede on Saparua island and Fort Begica on Banda Islands.

Fort Amsterdam was built by the Dutch in the early years of the Spice Trade at the beginning of the 17th century near the Old Hila Church in Ambon.

As the second Dutch fort after Kasteel van Verre on the island of Ambon, Fort Amsterdam was built after the United East Indies Company or VOC was established by the Heeren Zeventien (Council of Seventeen Lords) in Holland.

The wooden Old Hila Church, built in the vicinity of Fort Amsterdam by the Dutch in the 17th century, was renovated during the rule of Bernardus van Pleuren, then Governor of Comptoire Amboina (1775-1785).

But after a powerful earthquake in the late 1880s, the villagers rebuilt the church and renovated its entrance to what it is now . The Old Hila Church is still in use for services at present.

Banda has many historic sites that have made the island known worldwide for its historical significance and undersea natural beauty. It is known as the original and only source of the once precious spices - nutmeg and mace - , commodities that had a significant impact on world developments in the 15th century.

Early European reports described the tropical Banda Islands as a jewel-like cluster of islands surrounded by crystal-clear waters and brilliant coral reefs, and the most beautiful cluster of islands in Maluku.

Banda is made up of eleven small volcanic islands, namely Neira, Gunung Api, Banda Besar, Rhun, Ai, Hatta, Karaka, Manukan, Nailaka, Syahrir and Batu Kapal.

Syahrir island or formerly known as Pisang Island, and Batu Kapal Island which combine well for a morning dive, a picnic on the beach, and an afternoon dive are just 20 minutes by boat from the hotels in the town of Banda Neira.

To make Sail Banda 2010 a success, Sahusilawane said, the effort to restore and reorder the historic sites in Ambon and Banda was still underway.

"Our effort to restore and spruce up the historic sites is still underway and we hope it will be completed early next year because we still have many other things to do," Sahusilawane said.

She said the provincial government estimated that around 5,000 foreign guests would visit Maluku for Sail Banda 2010, and therefore adequate and comfortable accommodations should be prepared beforehand.

"The existing hotels in Maluku will not be able to take all the guests and therefore we will prepare home-stays in Ambon and Banda," Sahusilawane said, adding that besides marine resorts such as Natsepa, Liang, and Namalatu beaches in Ambon, tourist resorts would also be built on Lucipara island in the Banda Sea.

Namalatu beach is located on the south-easternmost part of the Leitimor Peninsula, facing the Banda Sea. The beach has crystal-clear waters and is an ideal spot for bathing, swimming, snorkeling, and diving.

With very beautiful and attractive sceneries, Namalatu is one of Ambon`s diving centers where visitors can rent diving gear.

Referring the provincial authorities` determination to make Sail Banda 2010 a success, Sahusilawane said her office was doing its best to promote the coming event through brochures, leaflets, both print and electronic media, and even its website www.sailbanda.com which can be visited by interested parties anytime.

"And the most important part of it is that the people of Maluku are already becoming more and more aware of the importance of tourism and prepared to welcome foreign guests and treat them in ways that make them feel at home," Sahusilawane said.

According to her, Sail Banda 2010 would have a strategic market value in the tourism sector and be able to attract international sailors and foreign tourists to visit Maluku during the international maritime event.

Sahusilawane said Sail Banda 2010 was expected to reflect an international shipping expedition.

She said the international event was being designed by adopting the past period of "hongitochten", punitive expeditions conducted by the Dutch to suppress uprisings in Seram, particularly in the clove-rich peninsula of Hoamoal and nearby islands with traditional boats.

Therefore, Sahusilawane called on villages across Maluku which have typical traditional boats to take part in and liven up the Sail Banda 2010.

She said the promotion of Sail Banda 2010 would not be very difficult because Banda islands had been known worldwide since the past as spice islands, and even UNESCO has named the islands one of the world heritages.

Maluku Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu said recently that some 150 sail boats from various countries had been registered to take part in Sail Banda 2010.

Related Articles:

Sail Banda 2010 (official Website)

Boediono`s Maluku visit Expected to promote Sail Banda 2010

Dutch maritime companies merge after all

NRC International, 12 November 2009 16:50

Dutch salvage company Smit International has given up its opposition to a take over by the Dutch-based international dredging company Boskalis, the companies announced Thursday.

The dredging company (10,200 employees, turnover 2.2 billion euros) is taking over Smit International based (3,600 employees, turnover 708 million euros) in a 1.35 billion euro deal. The takeover should not cost any jobs.

At the end of last year, Boskalis tried to take over a division of Smit which provides harbour services for oil and gas terminals, but was met by strong opposition. Subsequent attempts to incorporate the whole of the Smit company also failed.

Boskalis CEO Peter Berdowski said Thursday there is no longer any question of breaking up Smit. All its activities will be continued. Ben Vree, current CEO of Smit will join the supervisory board of the merged company.

The merger creates a “Dutch maritime player of global stature,” said Berdowski. “The development of our profit margins brought the two companies together." Both companies have been hit by the economic crisis. Smit had already stopped taking on more staff and Boskalis lost projects worth 450 million euros, including the building of a port in Dubai.

“By investing less in dredging and more in salvage Boskalis wants to improve profits,” said Berdowski. He called Smit’s towing services a “pearl of growth”, as it has done relatively well in spite of the downturn in transhipment in the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp.

In the last three weeks, merger negotiations speeded up when it became apparent that Boskalis was prepared to not break up Smit after the take over. Berdowski: “We looked deep into each others eyes. Both Ben Vree and myself changed our tunes and decided we could create more synergy together.”

"Queen of The Netherlands"

Rare iceberg spotted off island south of Australia

Google/AP

In this Nov. 5, 2009, photo provided by the Australian Antarctic Division, a large iceberg spotted off Macquarie Island, about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) southeast of Australia, mid-way between Antarctica and Australia. It is a rare sight in waters so far north, Australian scientists said Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Australian Antarctic Division, Murray Potter)

SYDNEY — A large iceberg was spotted off an island about halfway between Antarctica and Australia, a rare sight in waters so far north, Australian scientists said Thursday.

Australian Antarctic Division researchers working on Macquarie Island, about 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) southeast of Tasmania, first saw the iceberg last Thursday about 5 miles (8 kilometers) off the northwest coast of the island.

The iceberg, about 160 feet (50 meters) high and 1,640 feet (500 meters) long, is probably part of one of several larger icebergs that broke off Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf between 2000 and 2002, Australian Antarctic Division glaciologist Neal Young said.

Several icebergs have been drifting slowly northward with the ocean current toward the island over the past year, but it is uncommon for them to move so far into warmer northern waters, he said.

The scientists believe the iceberg will break up and melt rapidly as it continues its journey north. Before it melts, however, it could present a danger to ships navigating the region, Young said.

In 2000, several massive icebergs broke off from Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf and the Ronne Ice Shelf. The first iceberg was about 190 miles (300 kilometers) long and 23 miles (37 kilometers) wide. Those icebergs are now drifting away from Antarctica.

Icebergs are formed as the ice shelf develops. Snow falls on the ice sheet and forms more ice, which flows to the edges, onto the floating ice shelves. Eventually, pieces around the edge break off.

Related Article:

Greenland ice loss accelerating: study

An iceberg floats in a fjord near the town of Kulusuk in eastern Greenland August 2, 2009. (REUTERS/Bob Strong)

Major Indonesian Seaports Now Open Around the Clock

The Jakarta Globe, Putri Prameshwari

Jakarta's Tanjung Priok and three other ports around the country will now operate 24 hours a day. (Photo: Antara)

Four major domestic seaports will now be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week as part of a government plan to increase trade, Transportation Minister Freddy Numberi said on Wednesday.

“This is to boost our export and import activities,” he said.

The four ports are Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta, Belawan in Medan, North Sumatra, Tanjung Perak in Surabaya, East Java and Soekarno-Hatta in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

The move comes after the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) and other business organizations called for working hours to be extended at the country’s ports earlier this month.

Operations at the four ports would be open not only for ship docking but also for customs and immigration activities, Freddy said. “This way, if a cargo ship arrives at 2 a.m., it can immediately be served,” he said, adding that it could also avoid vessels from docking for too long as a result of delays.

Freddy said he hoped service would be improved if ports were open for 24 hours.

Sunaryo, director general of maritime transportation at the Transportation Ministry, said the infrastructure to open the seaports around the clock was adequate.

“All we have to do is coordinate with customs,” he said.

The hardest part would be to provide 24-hour manpower to load and unload vessels, Sunaryo said. “That should be synchronized with the Manpower Ministry,” he said.

On the other hand, Sunaryo said, the Transportation Ministry’s initiative could create more jobs, especially for people living near the ports.

The plan is currently in a test phase and would be officially implemented next January, Freddy said.

Richard J Lino, chairman of state-owned port operator PT Pelindo II, said it would take a long time to get all relevant agencies, including customs, immigration, and quarantine services, to coordinate their work activities at the seaports.

“They need time to adjust,” he said.

The government also wants to establish an international-standard port in Indonesia to function as hub port for the wider region.

PT Pelindo II has been pushing for Tanjung Priok to be that port. Lino said he hoped Tanjung Priok would be ready to operate as an international hub port by 2014.

Renovating the port, he said, would take five years and cost up to Rp 7 trillion ($749 million).

An archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, Indonesia relies heavily on sea transportation. Millions of people and tons of cargo are delivered every day using big vessels and small ships.

Pelindo II manages ports across Indonesia, including in Banten, Palembang in South Sumatra as well as Teluk Bayur seaport in West Sumatra, and Sunda Kelapa port in North Jakarta.

Shark bite prompts surprise birth

BBC News

Sharks are known to bite each other in the wild

A pregnant shark at a New Zealand aquarium was bitten by another shark, unexpectedly releasing four baby sharks as visitors watched.

An aquarium spokeswoman said stunned visitors saw the injured shark and alerted staff that they had also seen things float from the gaping wound.

The babies were removed from the tank to prevent stingrays and other sharks from eating them.

When staff also moved the mother they found a further four sharks inside her.

The mother's wound was stitched by a vet at Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World in Auckland.

"She's doing well, but we're watching her closely as it's a one-off occurrence, so we're not sure how she'll do," a spokeswoman told the BBC.

All eight baby sharks survived.

Aquarist Fiona Davies, quoted by the NZ Herald website, said it was common for sharks to take chunks out of each other, even in the wild, but she had never heard of anything like this.

Ms Davies said the unusual delivery had probably saved the baby sharks' lives.

If the mother had given birth naturally, most likely at night, the babies would have been eaten by adult sharks and stingrays before staff could rescue them.

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Indonesian Minister Hopes to Hook Loans For Fishermen

The Jakarta Globe, Arti Ekawati & Ardian Wibosono

A fisherman repairing a net at Cilincing, North Jakarta. Fishermen make just Rp 900,000 a month on average and find it hard to get bank loans. (Photo: Afriadi Hikmal, JG)

Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Fadel Muhammad wants to see the fisheries sector receive at least 20 percent of the funds earmarked by the government as part of a soft-loans scheme to promote the development of micro- and small businesses.

“Of a total of Rp 20 trillion [$2.1 billion] allocated by the government to finance the small-business loan scheme, I hope to secure some 20 to 25 percent of the money for the fisheries sector,” Fadel said during a discussion about the ministry’s first 100-day program with fishermen at Muara Angke fishing port in North Jakarta on Friday.

He said the money could be used to develop businesses in the fisheries sector.

During a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Fadel acknowledged that the sector had been badly neglected compared with other areas of the economy, such as agriculture and mining, resulting in lower incomes for fishermen and a lack of access to bank loans and services. On average, fishermen make only about Rp 900,000 a month, he said.

Fadel’s comments were welcomed by Syahruna Fauzi, the chairman of the Jakarta branch of the Progressive Fishermen and Farmers Association (KTNA).

“Our conservative banking system has not catered to fishermen’s needs. For example, the banks won’t accept boats as collateral for loans. We don’t know why this should be the case,” he said.

Fishermen face additional difficulties, Syahruna said, including an inhospitable climate. He noted that fishermen have to tie up their boats during the wet season, normally between October and February, due to high seas and strong winds, leaving them without a source of income for four months every year.

Sofyan Basir, president director of state-owned PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia, said banks were committed to supporting small businesses in the fisheries sector, but admitted “the loans currently disbursed to the sector are very low.”

However, he said banks recently had relaxed lending criteria for fishermen.

“If the money is lent through the government’s soft loans scheme, it shouldn’t be a problem. Banks can even use boats bought by under the soft loans scheme as collateral,” he said.

The government should improve supporting infrastructure to help fishermen store and distribute their catches before banks would be willing to risk larger investment in the sector, Sofyan said. “Otherwise, I’m afraid many of the loans will turn bad.”

Regarding infrastructure, Syahruna said the country’s port facilities were grossly inadequate. Nearly half of the 20 fishing ports managed by the central government lacked the necessary infrastructure, such as cold storage facilities and good transportation links, according to figures from the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry. The vast majority of the 33 fishing ports managed by local governments are even worse.

“Poor road access to the ports and a lack of sanitation and hygiene facilities are the main problems,” said Yan Winata Sasmita, chairman of the Indonesian Fishermen’s Association (HNSI) .

Inadequate roads make it difficult to transport fresh fish to the markets, he said.

Responding to the fishermen’s concerns, Fadel promised to do his best to improve port infrastructure, in collaboration with the Public Works Ministry, although he gave no specific commitments.

Child's play

The Jakarta Post | Sat, 11/07/2009 12:58 PM

Children play in a street flooded in seawater in Muara Baru, North Jakarta, on Friday. The Jakarta administration plans to allocate Rp 4.5 billion (US$ 460,000) to build an embankment on the nearby coast. (JP/Nurhayati)

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City to build dikes

BERITAJAKARTA.COM — 11/5/2009 7:37:42 PM

To prevent the tidal wave in Marunda, North Jakarta, the Jakarta City Administration has planned to develop a permanent dike along northern beach. The development fund has been allocated in the arrangement of 2010 city budget as much as Rp 4.5 billion.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo hoped the development can be realized soon. The dike is important and useful to prevent the tidal wave attacking residential areas in northern beach such as in Community unit number 07 Cilincing, North Jakarta.

Tidal wave has attacked the area Thursday (11/5) at 12 pm. It is because the dike development in Kalibaru coast to east side of Marunda beach has not been done yet. The tidal wave had destroyed tens ha of shrimp embankment. “The dike is developed to anticipate the rainy season and climate change,” Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said.

Jakarta Head of Dept. of Public Works Budi Widiantoro added, the dike to prevent tidal wave will be developed in Pasar Ikan, Marunda, and Thousand Island. “The dike should be developed next year if the council approve the proposal,” Widiantoro added.

Fakhrurrozi for Jakarta Water Source Control Division explained the dike length is about 3.143 km. “The dike is not only built by city administration, but also by private,” he explained.

City administration will manage the dikes in Kamalmuara, Muarakarang, Pluit, Luarbatang, Cilincing and Marunda, while the private will manage the dikes in Pantai Indah Kaouk, Ancol, Pelabihan Indonesia, Bogasari factory, and Sunda Kelapa Harbor.

A giant dam will also be planned for a long term project. It will be developed around northern beach in North Jakarta with the height is almost the same height as Istiqlal Mosque.

Translator: rizky

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Flood Disaster on Parts of Australia's East Coast

The Jakarta Globe

Australian authorities declared a natural disaster along parts of the country's east coast Saturday as heavy floods cut the main road linking major cities, stranding thousands of people.

Torrential rain soaked the Coffs Harbour region north of Sydney overnight, swamping the arterial Pacific Highway with flash floodwaters that isolated almost 5,000 people, emergency officials said.

About 40 people had to be evacuated from the area hit by the raging floods and New South Wales emergency services minister Steve Whan declared a natural disaster, releasing state funds.

More than 500 millimetres (20 inches) of rain had fallen in the past two days, Whan said, in the fifth major flooding incident to hit the region this year.

"I guess one of the things we've seen predicted from climate change consistently is that the rain and the weather events will come in more storms and more short-term deluges," he said."

Unfortunately that's the pattern that we seem to be seeing this year in the area.

"Floodwaters were expected to peak at five metres (yards) at Coffs Harbour on Saturday afternoon before easing, the State Emergency Service said, describing as "drastic" the cumulative effect of recent downpours.

"Weather conditions have eased considerably over the last few hours. However, we still have some 4,800 people isolated by floodwaters in a number of north-coast communities," said SES spokesman Phil Campbell.

Intense storms hit the east coast late last month, generating more than 10,000 lightning strikes and disrupting train and flight services.

Tens of thousands of homes and businesses were blacked out and a man was killed when his car hit a tree in torrential rains.

AFP

North Jakarta Allocates Rp25 Billion for Coastal Areas

Friday, 06 November, 2009 | 16:06 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The City government of North Jakarta is ready to distribute Rp25 billion to develop its tourism site on coastal areas.

According to the mayor, Bambang Sugiyono, the funds will be spent for supportive infrastructure development including roads, street lights and information kiosks for tourists, as well as to sponsor art performances in the area.

The government has launched programs targeting 12 places as tourism destinations since July 2009.

“North Jakarta has actually many potential tourism destinations, not only Ancol,” said Bambang.

Generally, the tourism destinations in the area are divided into five exploring nature, culture, history, spiritual sector, shopping and culinary.

The coastal areas that will be developed include the Ancol recreational park, the Angke Flower and Animal Park, the Ancient Zone in Sunda Kelapa, Luar Batang Village, Tanjung Priok Station, Tugu Village, Marunda Village, the Muara Angke Fishery Center, Mangga Dua Market, Kelapa Gading, and the Jakarta Islamic Center.

He is hoping that the tourism sector can help push economic growth in North Jakarta.

“We involve communities living around the tourism destinations in the project,” said Bambang.

It is expected that higher number of tourists will open more job opportunities and reduce the number of needy families in North Jakarta which have reached 54,000 families.

SOFIAN

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Great whites near shore more often than believed

Shark experts surprised by research in Pacific

By Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post Staff Writer, Wednesday, November 4, 2009

A white shark tagged with both acoustic (front) and pop-up satellite (rear) tags. The acoustic tag is detected when the shark swims within 250 m of a listening station, while the pop-up satellite tag records information about location, temperature and depth -- and relays it to the laboratory when the tag releases itself from the shark. (Scot Anderson )

For years, humans have thought of great white sharks wandering the sea at random, only occasionally venturing close to shore.

We were wrong.

Pacific white sharks spend months near the northern and central California coast between August and February foraging among elephant seals, sea lions and other prey, according to a new study published online Tuesday in the Proceedings of the Royal Society. The team of 10 California-based researchers determined that these sharks probably pass close to populated beaches and have been spotted as far inland as the mouth of the San Francisco Bay, east of the Golden Gate Bridge.

"It shows you how wild it is off our West Coast of North America. This is Yellowstone," said Stanford University marine sciences professor Barbara A. Block, who co-wrote the paper.

By tracking their movements, scientists determined that the fearsome predators make such precise, regular migrations each year between the California coast and the Hawaiian islands that they have become genetically distinct from their counterparts on the other side of the Pacific.

The fact that "a major concentration" of great whites can ignore the humans who might have crossed their path there "shows us the sharks are really minding their own business. The number of interactions with people is very small, considering," said Stanford University post-doctoral scholar Salvador J. Jorgensen, the paper's lead writer.

The findings represent nearly a decade of work, during which scientists tagged 179 great white sharks that roam the Pacific. They lured the creatures to their boat with a carpet decoy designed to look like a seal, and used a lance to attach the tags with the aid of 2.3-inch titanium darts.

They used three technologies to track the sharks' movements: satellite tags, which archive travel data by measuring the light in the sea and using astronomical math to determine where they are swimming; acoustic tags, which register a precise location when a shark comes within about 820 feet of a receiver; and mitrochondrial DNA sampling, which maps the animals' genetic lineage through their maternal line.

While researchers set up acoustic receivers in four central California locations where they knew the sharks would congregate -- Año Nuevo Island, South Farallon Island, Point Reyes and Tomales Point -- they discovered by accident that several white sharks entered the mouth of the San Francisco Bay. That is because the five great whites set off receivers established by another team, which had put them there to track migrating salmon.

Just as important, the scientists were able to determine through satellite tagging that great whites left the California coastline each winter and traveled 1,240 to 3,100 miles to the Hawaiian islands. Scientists have called a certain location along the route the white shark cafe, because they suspect that mating or foraging may take place there.

Tagging records from May and June show that male white sharks "converge in a very specific area of the cafe," Jorgensen said, while female sharks move in and out of the area. "It adds a little more evidence to the argument that this could be an important reproductive area."

Jorgensen said the great whites swimming off California probably descended from migrants that came from areas near Australia and New Zealand during the late Pleistocene Epoch, as many as 150,000 to 200,000 years ago.

The new findings have several significant conservation implications for great whites, which rank as one of the world's most protected shark species. Researchers are conducting a census of the creatures off California's coast because their exact numbers are unknown, and they may be able to identify areas of their migration routes that need additional protection.

Even Block, however, said she looks at places such as Carmel Point with a new perspective now that she knows the extent to which white sharks frequent the area. The scientists hope to put additional receivers near popular beaches to monitor shark movements.

"When I go to the beach there, I look at it differently," she said. "These animals are coming in so close to shore because that's where the pinnipeds [seals and sea lions] are."

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Tracking a predator

Scientists spent eight years tracking the movements of 179 great white sharks and discovered that these predators have very predictable migration patterns between Hawaii and the North American coast. Dots below show approximate locations where 68 sharks tagged with satellite sensors were recorded at various times.

Bonnie Berkowitz, Gene Thorp and Todd Lindeman

The Washington Post

Australian Oil Spill Clean-Up Could Take 7 Years

The Jakarta Globe

The partially collapsed Montara well head platform and the West Atlas mobile offshore drilling unit smoldering in the Timor Sea. (Reuters Photo)

Sydney. Monitoring the clean-up of a huge oil spill in pristine Australian waters could take as long as seven years, an official said on Wednesday as environmentalists urged a wide-ranging inquiry into the disaster.

As many as 28,000 barrels of oil have gushed into the Timor Sea off Western Australia’s northern coast in the 10 weeks since the West Atlas oil rig began leaking, raising concerns of an environmental disaster.

Attempts to plug the hole were delayed by the need to bring equipment from Singapore, the difficulty of the operation some 2.6 kilometers below the seabed and a fierce inferno fuelled by the leak which erupted on Sunday.

The rig’s operator PTTEP Australasia said the clean-up would be carried out quickly after the oil and gas leak and the fire were shut down on Tuesday.

“I suspect a couple of months is what we are sort of anticipating,” the company’s Jose Martins said of the operation.

“The environmental plan really could take up to seven years.”

Australian Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson, who has called for an inquiry into the incident, welcomed the news that the fire on the rig and the Montara wellhead platform had been extinguished.

“I think we are all relieved that what could have been a very dangerous situation hasn’t seen any loss of life,” the minister told public radio.

Environmentalists said stopping the flow was the first step in cleaning up the spill some 250 kilometers offshore, but called for any inquiry into the leak and fire to have wide-ranging powers.

“This is a major spill,” World Wildlife Fund Australia’s Ghislaine Llewellyn said.

“This is up in the top three in Australian history.”

Llewellyn said the spill of oil and condensate combined with the dispersant used to control the slick had created a toxic cocktail which would have a long-term impact on the area’s pristine tropical marine life.

Authorities said they were investigating whether oil from the rig could have washed up on Australia’s northern coast.

The Australian Embassy in Jakarta has dismissed reports that oil from the leak had come close to Indonesian coastal waters as “highly unlikely.”

Agence France-Presse

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Pelindo puts in place Priok overhaul plan

Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 11/03/2009 9:29 AM

A load off my mind: Loading and unloading activities at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta. State port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) II plans to develop Tanjung Priok port into an international hub port with docks 18 meters deep, starting next year. JP/R. Berto Wedhatama

State port operator PT Pelindo II is embarking on a five-year overhaul of Tanjung Priok port to challenge the dominance of Singapore as a regional trade hub, in a process that requires Rp 6 trillion in fresh investment.

“[So far] ships opt to do transshipment in Singapore rather than in Tanjung Priok. Starting next year, we will improve this port, so that we can provide better services and supporting infrastructure for [big] ships,” Pelindo president director Richard J. Lino said on the sidelines of seminar projecting Jakarta as Indonesia’s hub port.

According to Richard, one of the improvements needed is to create a more efficient port administration which will be easier to access.

“We have discussed with the Customs and Excise Office about cutting the document process down to a half day,” he said, adding that currently it needed seven days to process documents in Tanjung Priok, in contrast to one day in Singapore.

According to Richard, due to the limited infrastructure for big ships and the bureaucratic culture, only 40 percent of total loads aimed for export transited via Tanjung Priok, while the rest did their transshipment in Singapore.

In 2008, about 18,000 ships were transiting in Tanjung Priok, carrying 62 million tons of cargo that included 4 million TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units) of containers.

“Hopefully, the hub port, which will be officially in place in 2014, will boost the volume of containers going through Tanjung Priok up to 8 million TEUs from 4 million in 2009,” he said.

He said that besides administration reform, there were other things that needed to be improved at the congested Tanjung Priok to reach the level of a professional hub port.

“We will re-design the port to a depth of 18 meters and some 14 meter-docks for big ships carrying more that 5,000 TEUs of containers,” Richard said.

To facilitate the plan Pelindo will carry out land reclamation from the sea so as to widen the port’s handling capacity, according to Richard.

“We need 300 hectares of additional land. We also need 6 hectares more of parking lots in the port,” he said, adding that the new parking lot would be the biggest in the country.

Currently Tanjung Priok covers 604 hectares of land.

The Transportation Ministry’s director general of sea transportation Sunaryo said that it was not easy to create a hub port because it had to fulfill many criteria.

“The port should be near the international sea lanes and with a minimum depth of 14 meters.

“However, Tanjung Priok is only 11 meters depth. It needs some dredging to make the sea deeper,” Sunaryo said.

He said that the shallowness of the port had caused the port to face difficulties in accommodating ships of more than 200,000 tons .

Pelindo has estimated that the overhaul of Tanjung Priok will require at least Rp 6 trillion (US$610 million).

“We are still trying to get investors,” Richard said.

Pelindo II manages ports in 12 areas across the country including Sunda Kelapa in Jakarta, Banten, Palembang in South Sumatra and Teluk Bayur in West Sumatra.

In the third quarter of this year, the company booked Rp 1.8 trillion in revenue from Rp 2.3 trillion targeted this year.

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Indonesia to use Rotterdam Port as example

Major Port a New Priority for Indonesia

The Jakarta Globe

The Ministry of Transportation on Monday admitted its efforts to develop a much-needed international-standard port were progressing slowly.

Sunaryo, director general of maritime transportation at the ministry, said formulating a blueprint for an international-quality seaport was one of Transportation Minister Freddy Numberi’s priorities for his first 100 days in office, although none of the country’s seaports had yet shown the potential to become a regional hub for cargo vessels.

“We are trying to determine which port can be turned into an international hub,” Sunaryo said after opening a two-day seminar entitled “Jakarta as Indonesia’s Hub Port.” The seminar was organized by state-owned seaport operator PT Pelindo II in Jakarta.

“We still haven’t figured out where we should build it,” he said.

Pelindo II is pushing for Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta, which it says can be expanded into an international hub with renovations that would cost upwards of Rp 7 trillion ($735 million).

Currently, cargo shipments to Indonesia must stop in either Singapore or Malaysia before being delivered using smaller feeder vessels.

Although Sunaryo hinted that it was most likely the international hub would be developed in Jakarta or Batam, existing ports did not meet the requirements for a variety of reasons, including the fact the water was not deep enough for big ships to dock.

“The depth of sea water at Tanjung Priok, for example, is only 11 meters,” he said. “It can only handle cargo ships of less than 60,000 tons.”

Pelindo II president director R J Lino said that with renovations, Tanjung Priok could be ready to operate as an international hub by 2014.

“Tanjung Priok has one of the most strategic locations within the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.

However, Sunaryo said the Tanjung Priok port’s location was also a problem because getting feeder transport in and out of the port area was difficult.

“It’s useless having a huge port if there is no easy access,” he said.

He said that if there was no integrated mass transportation service, the volume of cargo being delivered by trucks would significantly worsen the already poor traffic conditions in the capital.

S Sumatra`s mangrove forests in critical conditions :official

Antara News, Monday, November 2, 2009 17:51 WIB

Palembang, S Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Mangrove forests in South Sumatra are in critical conditions due to the conversion of coastal areas into shrimp and fish farms by local residents, a provincial maritime official said.

To stop a further deterioration of the mangrove forests, the South Sumatra marine resources and fisheries office was planning to plant 125,000 mangrove seedlings along the coasts of Musibanyuasin and Ogan Komering Hilir districts, the office`s head, Lukman Nur Hakim, said here on Monday.

A small team consisting local residents would later be formed to continuously watch over the newly planted mangrove seedlings, he said.

But Lukman admitted the 125,000 mangrove seedlings would not be enough to restore the degraded mangrove forests to their original conditions. Therefore, his office was also planning to do the mangrove replanting along South Sumatra province`s coasts every year and thus gradually increase the number of new mangrove trees.

Lukman said mangroves played an important role in preserving the existence of marine biota and preventing soil abrasion. Mangroves could also help clean the air and reduce the effects of global warming.

In order to maintain the marine environment, Lukman added, his office was continuously monitoring the existence of coral reefs along coastal areas in Musibanyuasin and Ogan Komering Hilir districts.

Five spots in the two districts had also been designated as places to cultivate new coral reefs, Lukman said.

According to the official NACA (an inter-governmental organisation promoting rural development through sustainable aquaculture) website www.enaca.org, close to half of mangrove coverage occurs in five countries, i.e. Indonesia, Australia, Brazil, Nigeria and Mexico with the largest mangrove area in Southeast Asia located in Indonesia.

In general, the mangroves of Southeast Asia were the best developed and most diverse in terms of plants and animals. Fifty two out of the 268 plant species that have been recorded from these mangrove areas are true mangrove species or those that are found only in mangrove habitats while the others are mangrove associated species that are also encountered in non-mangrove habitats.

Eighteen species of mangrove plants are endemic to the south east Asian region and eight out of them are true mangroves.

Current member of NACA are Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, South Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

Burning Oil Rig May Collapse

The Jakarta Globe

The West Atlas oil rig may fall into the sea, says PTTEP Australasia. (Photo: AP, PTTEP Australasia)

Sydney. An oil rig leaking into the Timor Sea and engulfed in a massive blaze is at risk of total collapse, the rig operator acknowledged Monday, as government officials frustrated by failure to plug the leak promised an investigation.

Officials with rig operator PTTEP Australasia were planning to pump more heavy mud into a leaking well casing on Tuesday in the hopes of removing the source of fuel from the fire, which broke out on the West Atlas rig and Montara wellhead platform on Sunday.

The blaze started when workers were pouring mud into a hole that has been leaking an estimated 400 barrels of oil a day since Aug. 21. The company says it does not know what sparked the blaze.

``The fire is out of control,'' PTTEP Australasia chief financial officer Jose Martins told reporters in Perth on Monday.

A portion of the rig has already collapsed onto the wellhead platform, and there is a ``large risk'' the West Atlas rig could collapse into the sea, Martins said.

Federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson said Monday that once the spill is contained he would launch an official inquiry.

``Our requirement is to assess the cause of the accident and any lessons to be learnt, and that could lead to a change in the regulatory environment,'' he told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.

Ferguson later told reporters in Melbourne that if PTTEP was ``found to have been at fault with respect to any of their responsibilities, then any potential action will be appropriately considered at the time.''

On Monday, the company said it was mixing 4,000 barrels of heavy mud to pour down the well on Tuesday morning.

The oil slick from the rig, about 150 miles (250 kilometers) off Australia's northwest coast, now stretches across thousands of miles (kilometers) of remote ocean. Indonesia said last week that thousands of dead fish and clumps of oil have been found drifting near its coastline.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Monday he was ``deeply disturbed'' at the latest turn of events on the rig, signaling the government's rising frustration that fixing the spill is taking so long.

``Do I think this is acceptable? No, I don't,'' Rudd told Fairfax Radio Network. ``Are we angry with this company? Yes we are. Are we trying to do everything we can to get this under control? You betcha.''

AP

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Farmers spend own climate change adaptation fund

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 11/02/2009 8:38 PM

Frustrated by the government’s inaction, traditional farmers and fishermen have taken initiatives in adapting to extreme weather as an impact of climate change.

Farmers in Pati, Central Java, have to set aside one eighth of their income to purchase water to irrigate their paddy fields because they have moved forward their planting time by two months to avoid annual floods in January over the last five years.

“We are forced to use our money to buy water due to the absence of government assistance,” Tanto, a farmer from Batu Rejo village in Sukolilo district in Pati, told a climate forum jointly organized by the Indonesian Civil Society Forum (CSF) and Oxfam on Monday.

Tanto said that around 170 farmers in his village collected an average of Rp 92 million each planting season to water 150 hectares of their paddies. The farmers plant paddies twice a year

The forum featured farmers and fishermen from several towns across the country, who shared their efforts to adapt to extreme weather changes believed to be the impacts of the climate change.

Farmers from Indramayu in West Java and East Nusa Tenggara said they were also facing depleting water supply and unpredictable weather.

The East Nusa Tenggara farmers said they were struggling to cope with “fake” rains.

“Rain usually falls once or twice at the end of October, prompting farmers to plant maize. But unfortunately there was no more rain in the next four weeks, causing the plants to die,” Dominggus Tes, a corn farmer from Nusa village, told the forum.

Meanwhile, traditional fishermen in Krui, West Lampung said local fishermen had been unable to predict weather in their area in the last five years.

“In the past we could predict the weather by locating the position of South Star. But it is no longer applicable now,” said fisherman Edy Hamdan.

He said the fishermen tried to adapt to the climate change by creating new fishnets at a cost of Rp 20 million.

“Otherwise, we will return home empty-handed,” he said.

Paradise lost?

COP15 Copenhagen, Michael von Bülow, 20/03/2009 12:40

Most people know the Maldives as a tropical paradise for holiday makers. But behind the white beaches and glittering waves is a poor population which has lived in close symbiosis with the sea for hundreds of years - but now has to look elsewhere for a place to live, as the ocean is steadily eating away at their islands.

When the tsunami hit the archipelago of the Maldives in 2004, it was more in the way of a flooding than a regular tidal wave due to the sharp profile of the atolls. Only 87 people perished, but the damages were catastrophic for the tiny island state.

Two thirds of the country disappeared momentarily into the Indian Ocean, and when the sea withdrew, it took 62 percent of the country’s GNP with it. Electricity, communications and freshwater supplies on many islands were destroyed by the saltwater, and not until two years later was the country brought back on foot with the aid of the UN and international aid organisations.

Perhaps it was only a taste of what the 300,000 citizens of the Maldives can expect if and when global warming kicks in and makes the world’s seas rise by as much as one meter within the next century, like the latest scientific studies forecast.

80 percent of the island state’s only 235 km2 are less than one meter above sea level, so disaster is looming. Erosion is constantly eating away at the vulnerable atolls, and climate change is already palpable in the shape of more rain and more disease-carrying mosquitoes.

To most foreigners the Maldives are just a paradise for holiday makers. White beaches as if taken straight from a postcard and a temperature that due to cooling breezes from the sea never becomes unbearably high, making the country a rare pearl made for sailing, surfing, diving or just lazing on the beach. Under the sea, hobby divers encounter a world of adventures with corals and a thousand different tropical fish species.

Almost 700.000 tourists from mainly Europe, Japan, China and Australia visit the Maldives each year. Upon landing in one of the two international airports, one immediately notices the proximity of the sea. It feels literally like landing on the water because the islands are so tiny – a jogger can easily cover the perimeter of the main island Male’ in less than half an hour. The runways are regularly wet with splashes of sea water, in spite of the fact that the airport island Hulhumale has been raised artificially to the breath-taking elevation of two meters above sea level.

With a share of 35-40 percent of the GNP, tourism is a vital source of income for the Maldives. The second largest source of income is tuna fishing, which is done with hook and line in the traditional, environmentally friendly way, but which is declining rapidly due to dwindling fish stock. Apart from that, there is some farming, consisting mostly of coconuts and papaya.

Historically, the Maldives have for hundreds of years been a crossroads for different trade routes, and this is reflected in the population which ethnically and culturally is a unique amalgamation of Indians, Africans and Arabs. In addition to that, the island state has its own written language.

But the citizens in the 100 percent Muslim country are poor, and with a national economy the size of a small European city the Maldives are totally dependant upon foreign aid and loans if the tropical paradise is to be saved from slipping away into the expansive ocean.

Who will provide the necessary hundreds of millions of dollars, and is it worth the trouble in the first place? Couldn’t the tourists just go somewhere else for their holidays and the Maldivian population move some place where the risk of getting their feet wet is less imminent?

“It is a tiny nation, and by then (2100, ed. note) the population will perhaps be half a million people who could theoretically be displaced. But can we accept the disappearance of a country and an absolutely unique culture? That is the question we need to ask ourselves,” says Jonas Kjær.

Following the tsunami, from spring 2005 till late 2007 the Dane was stationed in the Maldives by the UNDP as aid coordination advisor, aiding the Maldivian government with the economic rehabilitation. There is no doubt in his mind as to the answer.

“No, we can not accept that a country just disappears,” he says.

According to Jonas Kjær, the recipe for saving the Maldives is “population and development consolidation”. The first step would be to gather the population of the Maldives, which at the moment is scattered over 200 islands, on just 10 to 15 islands. This would at the same time make an additional number of islands available to tourists, thereby making them co-finance the relocation and rehabilitation of the local population.

The next step would be to elevate the islands artificially by two to three meters, and to build solid walls along the coast safeguarding the islands against the tide and storms.

“Of course, there are some social, cultural and historical considerations to be made. You don’t just move a population that has inhabited the islands for maybe 2,000 years. That takes political guts,” says Jonas Kjær.

In fact, population and development consolidation, nicknamed “pop concert”, has been sitting in a drawer with the previous government for at least 10 years. Due to political reluctance and fear of the population’s reaction the programme hasn’t been initiated. There seems, however, to be a growing understanding amongst the population for a need to do something – an understanding that has been augmented substantially by the impact of the tsunami.

The younger and more informed citizens have especially acknowledged the need to move, and some are already on their way. More and more young Maldivians go to Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore, the US or the UK to study, and after finishing their studies some of them decide to stay in their new country, adding to the brain drain of their native country.

This leaves a Maldivian population, which after 30 years of semi-dictatorial rule has embarked on a positive democratic development, to hope that paradise has not already been lost.