Govt exempts fishery products from export duties

ANTARA News) - The government has exempted all kinds of fishery products from export duties in a bid to lure more investors to develop the country`s fishery industry, a spokesman said.

Marine Resources and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numbery in a hearing with the House of Representatives (DPR)`s Commission IV here on Tuesday said the policy was adopted as a step to provide investment incentives for investors.

"This is actually an integrated fishery industrial development in Indonesia after the abolishment of the system of licensed fish-catching operations by foreign fishermen," he said.

In addition to the exemption of export duties, the government would only collect a duty of 0 percent to 5 percent on import of goods to develop fishery-related industries in the country.

Freddy said some other incentives offered by the government to attract more investors to get engaged in fishery industry was by exempting the import of certain fishery-related industry goods and maintenance services from duties.

A 50 percent deduction of land and building tax, incentive in compensation of loss which may not reach more than eight years for foreign and local investment.

Companies that had been operating in Indonesia for over seven years with good performance would enjoy easy and quick issuance of business permits.

Since 2006, he said, the marine resources and fisheries ministry had imposed a joint venture system on foreign vessels which caught fish in Indonesian waters.

According to Freddy, after instituting a number of investment incentives, there were about 13 foreign companies which had tendered applications for the allocation of fish catch areas with an investment value of US$203.26 million and in the form of rupiah amounting to Rp619,55 billion.

U.S. pledges to help R.I in retrieving black box

JAKARTA (JP): U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia B. Lynn Pascoe said Tuesday that they are ready to help Indonesia retrieve the black boxes from the crashing Adam Air aircraft.

"We only assist if they ask to. We are looking forward to help," Pascoe said after a meeting with Transportation Minister Hatta Rajasa at the Ministry's building.

He said that under the International Law, recovering the black boxes had become the call of the Indonesian government and not the U.S.

"Retrieving the black boxes is not an easy feat as it could cost a couple of millions (of dollars)," Pascoe added.

USNS Mary Sears has caught the signals from the black boxes of the jetliner, which carried 102 people, using its advanced Towed Pinger Locator.

The radar detected that the flight data recorder (FDR) was located 1,800 meters while cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was located 2,000 below.

Hatta Rajasa said that the Indonesian government was at the second phase of the mission, which is to recover the flight data recorders.

"We are waiting for the input from the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) on what kind of technology needed to salvage the boxes," Hatta told reporters.

"On Wednesday, KNKT will meet with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to discuss about the project," he said, adding that the U.S. possessed the devices to salvage the black boxes but their availability was still questioned.

"The deep location will not make the black boxes move. Even if they move, they will not move far." (Alvin)

ASEAN ministers eager to lure cruise liners to the region

Jan 29, 2007, 2:00 GMT, Monster & Critics

Singapore - South-East Asian tourism ministers are focusing this week on a joint strategy to woo more cruise liners by promoting the region as the next Caribbean, participants said Monday.

Stepped up efforts to attract more youth travelers are also on the agenda of the ASEAN Tourism Forum, being held through Saturday in Singapore.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) needs a 'concerted effort' to become a compelling cruise destination, Singapore's Minister of State for Trade and Industry S Iswaran told The Straits Times.

With only a handful of attractive cruise ports, Asia has yet to catch up with such popular cruise hubs as the Caribbean and Mediterranean, he said.

Air links are also being discussed. Iswaran noted how an 'open aviation regime will pave the way for more flights and competitive airfares.' This, in turn, will give ASEAN member states the extra boost to emerge into booming tourism markets.

ASEAN is also bringing forward a plan to permit unlimited flights between the capital cities of member countries by next year.

Singapore, Thailand and Brunei already have the freedom to fly to each other's cities. Taking Singapore and Thailand as an example, Iswaran said that passenger traffic from the city-state to Bangkok has risen by more than 40 per cent since 2000.

Singapore has also sent 60 per cent more passengers to Phuket in the same period.

It will be to ASEAN's 'collective benefit' to have each country as an attractive destination in its own right, Iswaran said.

The 10-member grouping will have to work closer to 'communicate effectively to the external world so travelers are reassured and can make informed decisions,' he said.

ASEAN includes Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar (Burma)

Malaysia has potential to be maritime hub

By Jimmy Yeow

Malaysia can rival major regional maritime hubs such as Hong Kong and Singapore and boost its downstream sector by attracting ancillary services to support the domestic maritime industry, according to IT services company LogicaCMG’s chief executive officer Michael Warren.

“Malaysia is at the cusp of a major boom to its maritime business. Because of strong government support, it has the potential to be one of Southeast Asia's leading maritime nations,” he said.

While the likes of Port of Tanjung Pelepas, Westport, Northport and Penang Port expand healthily; major developmental works are also seen at North Butterworth Container Terminal, Kuantan Port and Bintulu Port offering ample business opportunities for the ancillary sector, he added.

In addition, Warren said the country's programmes to upgrade its maritime capability in defence by doling out contracts worth US$1 billion (RM3.5 billion) spells fresh opportunities for many downstream businesses.

These support services range from security, technology, logistics to training, human resource management and outsourced services, he added.

As an example, Warren cited there were many maritime support services within the sphere of security that can spring from Malaysia.

“Maritime certificate fraud is rapidly emerging as a key threat to the industry, and one that poses grave dangers for the wider international community. Forged ship documents and crew travel documents can easily be obtained, so security services will become more predominant,” he said.

Security services are just the tip of an iceberg. Other services can cater to haulage, freight forwarding or even manufacturing industries e.g. tracking, cost management," Warren said.

LogicaCMG provides global services in the finance; telecoms; energy and utilities; industry, distribution and transport; and the public sectors. Its systems are used in controlling the transfer of more than US$5 trillion per day, two thirds of text messages sent globally and a third of the world's satellites currently in orbit.

LogicaCMG's systems have been fundamental to the regulatory transformation of energy markets around the world. Its HR outsourcing services process more than US$100 billion of salaries globally each year.

In the maritime industry, LogicaCMG has served the Ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam, the Port of London Authority, the Bremer Lagerhaus Gesellschaft (the operating company for German Ports), the Associated British Ports Holding PLC, Lloyd’s of London Press, the Belgian and Dutch governments as well as Hong Kong-based shipping and logistics service company OOCL.

In Holland, it has developed and maintained a port management system that supports vessel movement control and advised the Port Authority of Amsterdam on possibilities of electronic services via the Internet.

LogicaCMG also developed an information processing system for the Belgian and Dutch government to plan and control cargo shipments of dangerous goods.

In Asia, OOCL appointed LogicaCMG to develop a global communications strategy to process data and provide global support through three regional data centres.

Fishermen survive nine days on sea

AMBON, Maluku (The Jakarta Post) : Three fishermen from Laha village, Teluk Ambon Baguala district, missing since Jan. 13, have been found alive at sea.

The three men, Sangkuriang, 28, Ancu, 23, and Deny, 22, had been drifting at sea for nine days and survived on raw fish.

They were found in a serious condition on Run Island by fisherman Sarman on Monday. Sarman nursed them back to health in his house on the island.

After disembarking from the Bukit Siguntang passenger ferry at the Yos Sudarso Port in Ambon on Thursday, survivor Sangkuriang told reporters they were catching tuna in the Nusaniwe Sea when their engine stalled.

Meanwhile, 11 fishermen from Gorom Island, Eastern Seram district, reported missing Jan. 5 while out at sea fishing, are still yet to be found.

Over 9,000 small islands in Indonesia have no names

Xinhua

Over 9,000 small islands in Indonesia still have no names and the government has a program to give them names later this year, an official said.

"The program will be expedited, so all 17,000 islands in Indonesia will have names," Antara news agency on Saturday quoted Soadjuangon Situmorang, director general of general administration at the Ministry of Home Affairs, as saying.

The government has issued a presidential regulation on the National Team for Island Name Standardization to expedite the program, he said on Friday.

The team chaired by the president comprises the minister of defense, minister of foreign affairs, minister of fishery and marine resources as well as the minister of national education.

Australia, RI to hold ministerial meeting on illegal fishing

JAKARTA (Antara): Australia and Indonesian would jointly organize a regional ministerial meeting on illegal fishing from 13 countries in May this year.

Australian ambassador to Indonesia Bill Farmer said Thursday the meeting plan was needed to deal with organized fishing crime in the region, which had threatened fish and fishermen.

"The fishery reserve in Southeast Asia is really under serious threat. So we think it is good if we (Australia and Indonesia? could handle this problem together," Farmer said.

Singapore's Waste Pollutes Batam

Thursday, 25 January, 2007 | 12:22 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Batam: Nongsa Beach, Batam, is contaminated by poisonous waste from Singapore.

Allegedly, the waste came from a tanker ship that was being cleaned in Singaporean waters.

In addition to polluting the environment, the waste also damaged the marine ecosystem.

Fishermen from Batam are now also reluctant to do fishing because they are worried about the dangerous waste.

According to Nasir Harun, a member of the Permanent Commission on Maritime Affairs and Fisheries at the Riau Islands Chamber of Commerce, such occurrences happen almost every year.

The waste, used oil from Singaporean tankers, is often dumped without being processed into the sea.

Kota Besar Barelang Police Department is investigating the case.

Rumbadi Dalle

RI fishery output projected at 4.9 mln tons in 2007

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Ministry of Fishery and Marine Resources has projected the national fishery production to reach 4.9 million tons, a 3.6 pct increase compared to that in last year`s corresponding period, a spokesman said.

Husni Mangga Barani, director general at the ministry said here Wednesday that the marine and fishery products contributed 4.63 million tons and inland fishery products 305,650 tons.

Though the increase in fuel oil prices in October 2006 was still the main problem in the sector, provisional statistics in 2006 still showed an upward trend of the national fishery production, he added.

"Therefore we still project the national fishery production in 2007 to reach 4.9 million tons," he said.

Husni also said the 2006 national fishery production was expected to reach 4.76 million tons to which marine fishery production contributes 4.4 million tons and inland fishery products 301,150 tons.

The national fishery production in 2006 increased by 1.34 pct compared to that in last year`s corresponding period a year reaching 4.70 million tons. In total, the national fishery production including from fish ponds rose by 7.39 million tons or increase by 7.6 pct compared to the same period a year earlier reaching 6.86 million tons.

Meanwhile the sector is expected to absorb 2.66 million workers in 2007, an increase by 2.5 pct compared to that in last year`s corresponding period reaching 2.60 million tons.

CPO becomes Belawan port's main export commodity

Belawan, North Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Crude Palm Oil (CPO) has become the main export commodity of Belawan sea-port following the recent raising demand of the plantations product, assisten manager to public relations division of PT Pelabuhan Indonesia-I, Erwin Sutiyana said here.

"CPO has become the main export earner and the extension of this port cannot be separated from the potentials of its hinterlands covering North Sumatra, Riau and Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD)," Erwin said.

Data showed that the CPO unloading activities conducted in the bulk-goods terminal of the Belawan port amounting about 5.1 million tons annually. While the similar activities for fuel oil in the same terminal only reached about 4.2 million tons per year, Erwin noted.

The bulk-goods terminal of the Belawan port has four unloading points for CPO and two loading points for the fuel oil.

Apart from that, the number of residue of Crude Palm Oil at the same port reached about 985 thousand tons per year, he said, adding that in Desember 2006 alone, CPO export activities remained the major portion of export works occured in the sea port.

Erwin said, trade activities of CPO and its residue in the Belawan port comprising 76.66 percent and 18.81 percent respectively.

Belawan sea port which is equipped with a conventional container terminal "Gabion", and a passenger terminal recruited 600 personnel to support its 24-hour operation.

Sunda Kelapa a fading, ancient seaport

Tha Jakarta Post

Sunda Kelapa was known for centuries as a trading hub, which connects the area known today as Indonesia with many Asian and European cities.

In the 12th Century, foreign ships brought porcelain, silk, perfume, horses and wine to local people, who then exchanged them, mostly for spices.

Geopolitical changes marked by the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the growth, much later, of Singapore with its modern seaport left Sunda Kelapa overshadowed.

Today, Sunda Kelapa is only a minor seaport that handles fewer than 10 ships a day.

Vessels, mostly from from Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Sumatra, bring timber and return home with iron, cement and a variety of household goods.

EU Team to inspect RI's fish cultivation centers

Surabaya (ANTARA News) - A fisheries team from the European Union is to visit some fish cultivation centers in Indonesia between January 22 and October 27 to see whether the methods used at the centers meet certain standards and are safe for human health, a senior fisheries official said.

If the team gives a negative evaluation of just one fish cultivation region, all cultivated fish exports from Indonesia to the EU risk being embargoed or even scrapped from their list of cultivated fish suppliers, Prof Dr Martani, director general of fishery product processing and marketing at the marine resources and fisheries ministry, said here Thursday.

Speaking at a meeting with representatives of East Java fish farmers and fish-feed makers associations, Martani therefore called on all parties concerned to prepare themselves well for the EU team`s inspection.

He said last year antbiotic residue was found on a fishery product from Indonesia and his office had therefore drawn up a draft ministerial regulation providing for measures to detect chemcial residues , biological and pollutant substances on cultivated fish products.

His office had also prepared regulations to guarantee the quality and safety of cultivated fish products at the stages of production, processing and distribution as well as regulations on conditions to be met in proper fish cultivation, regulations on technical guidelines for the application of systems to guarantee quality and safety and programs to control and monitor the quality of fish products."

Meanwhile, Ir Kardani MM, head of the East Java marine resources and fisheries service, said the use of drugs or chemicals in fish cultivation was actually already regulated in Law No 31/2004. The law proibits the use of drugs in fish cultivation that endanger fish reources, fish resource environments and human health in fish cultivation areas.

Violations of the articles in the law carry penalties of a maximum of six years in prison or fines of up to Rp1.5 billion.

He said the marine resources and fisheries ministry had also issued a regulation on the provision, distribution, use and supervision of the use of drugs in fish cultivation in addition to a ministerial decree on classification of drugs in fish cultivation.

Prof Kardani said the EU was a very strategic fish export market where prices were much higher than in Japan and the United States.

About 10 percent of Wast Java`s cultivated fish exports was going to the European Union, he noted.

Indonesia's public transport perils

By Lucy Williamson, BBC News, Jakarta

In a country of 220 million people, spread across some 17,000 islands, transport systems are crucial to keeping Indonesia moving.

But transport statistics here make worrying reading for passengers.

Last year, there was an aircraft incident recorded every nine to 10 days - planes that crashed, almost crashed, missed the runway, were forced into emergency landing or had technical problems.

There were two train crashes or derailments every month, and at least eight accidents at sea.

These are official statistics. The real figures, say analysts, are probably even higher.

This year has got off to a particularly bad start.

On New Year's Day, a passenger plane carrying 102 people disappeared from radar screens near the island of Sulawesi.

Rescue teams were already out in the Java Sea at the time, looking for hundreds of victims of a ferry disaster that had happened two days earlier.

Around the same time, a ferry carrying 58 people sank off the coast of Sumatra, a speedboat went missing near Kalimantan, a train derailed in Central Java and two other minor airline incidents have been reported.

Poor investment

Tough questions are being asked about why Indonesians are at so much risk when they travel.

Bambang Susantono, head of Indonesia's Transport Society, an independent think tank, says that since the economic crisis in the late 1990s, investment has been a big problem.

"The government doesn't have enough money to build the infrastructure it needs; things like repairing damaged ports, or making improvements to airports," he said.

According to the Transport Society, hundreds of millions of US dollars are needed to bring infrastructure up to standard.

The government denies it is risking safety, but does admit that it needs more money.

Not everyone, though, agrees that the solution is to bring in the private sector.

Air and sea transportation have already been partly liberalised.

The result is a mushrooming of cheaper, budget carriers, which now account for around two-thirds of the incidents reported on scheduled flights.

That is something that worries Bambang Sustanono.

"Our concern is that they cut costs by simplifying safety procedures," he said.

"You hear stories about instruments not working, or pilots working long hours. It's a signal that something has to be fixed in the airline industry."

The plane lost at the beginning of 2007 was operated by budget carrier Adam Air.

Twenty-nine of its pilots have resigned in recent years, and several have made allegations that the company pressured its pilots to fly unsafe planes.

The company denies the allegations, and a court case is in progress.

With so much murkiness around the causes of disasters, people are increasingly turning to the government and asking why it is so difficult to enforce safety regulations.

Wendy Aritenang, Secretary-General of the Transport Ministry, says the government needs to catch up with a rapidly growing industry - deploying more inspectors, enforcing regulations better and encouraging passengers to report on negligent operators.

Reappraisal

At Kota railway station in north Jakarta, the problems of maintaining crumbling networks are worryingly familiar.

A technician, waiting out his shift in a dark office on the platform, told us that he and his colleagues were simply "forcing the trains to go".

"The trains are very old," he said, "and there's a lack of spare parts. The attitude of our superiors is [to] make the best of what we've got; so we cannibalise the broken engines to fix the others."

A bill going through parliament now is set to open up the railway network to private operators in the next few years.

Government regulations are going to need to catch up fast to stop safety problems growing.

The spotlight has been on air operators in recent years, but Indah Suksmaningsih from Indonesia's Consumer Association says this attention does not mean safety on cheaper forms of transport is any better.

She believes the lack of a safety culture, combined with a reluctance among poorer Indonesians to make complaints, means operators often get off without penalties.

But Bambang Sustanono believes the growing focus on air safety, following de-regulation, is forcing a reappraisal of safety issues on all forms of transport.

At the start of 2007, the president announced the formation of a new transport committee to assess what needs to be done across the industry - a process Wendy Aritenang says his ministry has already begun.

He is confident this is the right time to push for more liberalisation in the transport sector.

"We give opportunities to the private sector," he told me, "but not a blank cheque. We give opportunities, but also responsibilities. I think this is a good way to improve the transport sector."

Commuters waiting for their trains here at Kota station say they broadly welcome the idea of private investment in the railways.

The possibility of cheaper fares goes down well with the poor majority here, and there is a hope that competition might improve the quality too.

But making - and keeping - the railways safe will need massive investment, something analysts say many sea and air operators have so far been unable or unwilling to provide.

And if the government cannot pay, passengers here may need to make a choice between lower fares and higher safety standards.

Gading Sari Signs Deal With Pos Indonesia

By Mohd Nasir Yusoff, Bernama.com

JAKARTA, Jan 18 (Bernama) -- PT Gading Sari Indonesia, a subsidiary company of Gading Sari Aviation Services Malaysia Sdn Bhd, a logistics company, Thursday signed a partnership agreement with PT Pos Indonesia to modernise the latter's facilities and consequently start a new era in the postal services of Indonesia.

The event which also marked the official establishment of PT Gading Sari, was graced by Tengku Mahkota Pahang Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah at a leading hotel here.

Also present was Indonesia's Minister for State Owned Enterprises Indonesia Soegiharto and Malaysia's Finance Ministry Secretary General Datuk Dr Hilmi Yahya.

Besides looking at a potential market of 230 million people in Indonesia, the partnership is also expected to open the doors for the two parties, PT Gading Sari and PT Pos Indonesia, to jointly explore expanding into the wider Asean market.

After Indonesia, Gading Sari Aviation Services Malaysia is also looking into exploring opportunities in Vietnam and China.

Under the deal, PT Gading Sari will initially help PT Pos Indonesia set up its land, sea and air transportation faclities as well as modernise its storage, logistics and communication facilities.

Chief Executive Officer of PT Gading Sari, Taufick D. Mochtar, said that his company considered it an honour to help PT Pos Indonesia and aimed to push up PT Pos Indonesia as an international level company in the logistics industry.

Meanwhile, the chief director of PT Pos Indonesia Hana Suryana said that the partnership was its initial step towards establishing a vision and an Initial Public Offer in 2010.

For this, PT Pos Indonesia would require strategic alliances such as what it has with PT Gading Sari, he said.

At the event today, PT Gading Sari also launched its operations as the agent of Columbia Aircraft which provides executive jet charter services.

Govt to develop fishery industrial clusters

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The ministry of fishery and marine resources is set to develop fishery industrial clusters in some districts this year to promote their leading fishery products.

The ministry`s spokesman, Saut P Hutagalung, said here on Wednesday that under the program a district would only focus on developing some of its leading fishery products.

"Then the district will only produce one commodity so that it will be competitive," he said.

He said that actually this program had already been developed by other countries such as Japan and Vietnam under their one village one commodity program.

He said the government had already set 10 main fishery commodities to be developed under the cluster system, such as tuna, shrimp, seaweed, crabs and aquarium fish.

He said tuna clusters would be developed in Bitung, North Sulawesi, Benoa in Bali, Makassar in South Sulawesi, Padang and Bungus in West Sumatra, Sorong in Papua, Kendari in Southeast Sulawesi, Prigi in East Java, Cilacap in Central Java and Jakarta.

He said the development of the program would also involve the private sector as well as cooperatives.

Indonesia's CP Prima acquires largest U.S. shrimp breeding Co

Jakarta (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Indonesia's PT Central Proteinaprima (CP Prima) (JSX:CPRO) has acquired Shrimp Improvement System, LLC (SIS), the largest brood stock breeding and producing company in the United States, for an undisclosed sum.

CP Prime management said the integrated shrimp processing company wants to expand operations in the United States and bolster its financial performance.

Last year, the company posted a net profit of Rp154.36 billion (US$17.1 million) for the first nine months, up from Rp144.11 billion in the same period in 2005.

Govt promises help for fishing industry

Ary Hermawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government has pledged to help revive the sea fishing industry by providing more cash collateral this year to boost fishermen's access to bank loans.

Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fishery Freddy Numberi said Monday the ministry would disburse Rp 173 billion (about US$19.2 million), or double last year's total, in cash-collateral credit to more than 5,000 traditional fishermen this year.

The scheme will be managed by state-owned lender Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI).

"We've found that BRI's non-performing loans for the fishery are less than 1 percent. This is positive. We will continue disbursing loans to fishermen," Freddy said of the government's decision to use BRI.

Sulaiman Arief Arianto, BRI director for small and medium enterprises, said credit released to the sea fishing industry was only 1.6 percent of the bank's agriculture credit, which accounted for 40 percent of its portfolio.

"The figure is still pretty low," he added.

Bank Indonesia data shows that loans to the agriculture sector accounted for only 5 percent of national banking credit. Most of the funds deposited in banks went to the industrial and trade sectors, accounting for 23 percent and 20 percent respectively.

Arief said most fishermen were not accustomed to banking requirements and few, if any, collateral companies were willing to invest in the high-risk industry due to its dependence on nature.

"Most of them are not bankable but are actually quite feasible," he said.

The bank itself is ready to extend loans of some Rp 200 billion to the sea fishing industry this year.

With the new funds, the government expects to focus on boosting the production of shrimp, tuna and seaweed.

Last year, Indonesia exported 169,581 tons of shrimp worth about $1 billion, an increase from 153,906 tons in 2005. It is now the largest shrimp exporter to Japan and the second largest to the U.S.

The total production of seaweed in 2005 reached 910,636 tons and is expected to climb to 1 million tons in 2006. Indonesia is the second largest seaweed exporter in the world after the Philippines.

Meanwhile, about 30 percent of the tuna imported by Japan, which consumes about 70 percent of the world's total tuna production, comes from Indonesia.

"What a shame that the increase of revenue in the country's sea and fishery sector did not bring a significant contribution to the welfare of our fishermen," Freddy said.

Indonesia earns US$2.1 bln from aquaculture exports

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia was estimated to earn a total of US$2.1 billion from the export of aquaculture products last year, a Fishery and Marine Resources Ministry official said here on Tuesday.

From January to August 2006, the export of aquaculture products reached 664.5 million tons worth US$1.4 billion, Aquaculture Director General Made L Nurjana said.

Shrimp exports were the main foreign exchange earner in 2006, he said. During the January-August 2006 period, Indonesia exported 112.5 million tons of shrimp with a total value of US$739.2 million.

The country also exported tuna fish with a total volume of 58,633 tons worth US$168.72 million, and dried seaweed 57,683 tons worth US$ 28.55 million.

The aquaculture products were exported to 126 countries in 2006. The United States was the main importer of the Indonesian aquaculture products, buying 83,347 tons, or about 12.54 percent of Indonesia`s total aquaculture exports last year.

Indonesia also exported the products to China (78,686 tons or 11.84 percent), Japan (74,973 tons, 11.28 percent), and the European Union (51,976 tons, 7.82 percent).

From the aquaculture product exports, Indonesia earned US$475.14 million from the US, US$409.66 million from Japan, US$48.39 million from Hong Kong, US$193.56 million from the European Union and US$132.76 million from other countries.

BMG data is often not accurate: Aircraft association

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Aircraft Association (INACA) says data from the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) are often not reliable, thus pilots do not trust the information from the agency.

Elshinta radio station quoted a senior official in INACA on Monday that pilots must seek information from a more reliable agency due to such a problem in BMG.

"When BMG predicts, for example, our visibility is only few meters, the fact is different," he said during a hearing with the National Commission on Transportation Safety (KNKT.)

He called on BMG to renew and calibrate its weathermeasurement tools to give a more reliable information.

Indonesia fully committed to ASEAN single market: Minister

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Cebu, the Philippines

Indonesia is ready to reduce non-tariff barriers and cut other forms of trade barriers in support of the full integration of ASEAN economies by 2015, Trade Minister Mari Pangestu said Friday.

"We have cut tariffs significantly. Now we want to reduce non-tariff barriers that hamper export and import activities. We want Indonesia to be ready for a free flow of good and services by 2015," Pangestu said on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Cebu, the Philippines.

The Indonesian government, Mari said, already introduced a single-window customs system in Batam last year.

This custom system aims to simplify export and import procedures, which used to involve going to 35 separate government agencies, into a unified procedure involving only one or two agencies.

"Our target for this year is to apply a single-window system for Tanjung Priok Port (in Jakarta). This is very crucial because 60 percent of our trade is conducted through this port. However, it will not be an easy task as we must set up the electronic infrastructure to support the system. At least the three key agencies -- customs, trade and transportation -- should be harmonized within the system," she said.

By 2008, Mari said, the single-window system should have been fully implemented at Tanjung Priok Port.

Last December, the 10 member states of ASEAN signed four agreements to speed up economic integration. The first agreement was the protocol to the ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Integration of Priority Sectors. Member countries agreed to eliminate tariffs on 3,523 product lines by Jan. 1 of this year.

With the agreements, some 80 percent of total products in the region have been exempt from all tariffs since Jan. 1, while tariffs are scheduled to be lifted on the remaining 20 percent of products by 2010.

Despite the success in the elimination of tariffs, some critics have said that ASEAN is not moving fast enough to eliminate non-tariff barriers, including customs procedures, standards and conformity.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) into ASEAN during the first quarter of 2006 soared by nearly 90 percent to US$7 billion compared to the same period last year. It rose by 48 percent to $34 billion in 2005, with the manufacturing sector being the top FDI recipient.

Indonesia attracted some $6 billion of last year's FDI inflow into the region, coming a poor second to Singapore's $20 billion.

"We have established a blueprint to achieve all of our targets. We have divided businesses into four sectors, and each will have priority sectors to be taken care of. We also have four periods for achieving the targets," Mari said, without providing more detail on these sectors or periods.

RI crew rescued in Cypriot oil tanker accident

OSLO, Norway (AP): A Cypriot oil tanker ran aground off the western Norwegian coast and split in two, spilling several hundred tons of oil into the sea.

All 25 crew members were saved, Norwegian rescue officials said Saturday.

The 180-meter "Server" was headed for the Russian Arctic port of Murmansk on Friday when it hit rocks in a storm off the coast near Bergen, 275 kilometers (165 miles) northwest of Oslo, around 6:30 p.m. (5:30GMT).

The crew members, mostly Indonesians, were rescued and flown by helicopter to Bergen, officials said.

"No one was hurt," said Siv Namork, from the Joint Rescue Coordination Center.

The vessel, which was stuck on the rocks, split in two some four hours after the accident.

The tanker had 650 metric tons (720 short tons) of oil on board, but no other cargo. About 300 metric tons of oil leaked into the sea.

U.S. offers under-sea photography to locate missing plane

SURABAYA (Antara): The U.S. has offered to use under-sea photography to help find the missing Adam Air plane which could have plunged into the sea in the Makassar Strait, an Indonesian Navy official said.

"The under-sea photographic equipment is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday," Rear Admiral Moekhlas Sidik, chief of the Indonesian Navy's Eastern Fleet Command, told Antara on Saturday.

He said the Search and Rescue Team including the naval vessel KRI Fatahillah was still focusing its attention on an area where fragments of aircraft parts and equipment were found recently.

Until now, the team had still not found the body of the missing plane.

Until Friday, as many as 27 objects associated with aircraft parts and equipment had been found during search operations in waters off Pare Pare and Barru districts in South Sulawesi.

The team was hoping that if the body of the plane was found it could get the aircraft's black box containing information on what had happened with the plane.

The U.S. has been keen to help in the search efforts because three of the plane's 96 passengers were Americans, namely Scott Jackson and his two daughters, Lindsey and Stephanie.

First finder of jetliner wreckage to get cash from VP

MAKASSAR (Antara): A fisherman Bakrie, 53, who found part of the right tail of the missing Adam Air jetliner in Mallusetasi waters, South Sulawesi would get cash of Rp 50 million (US$5,490) from VicePresident Jusuf Kalla for his finding.

Antara quoted Friday Commander of Makassar Air Base First Air Marshal Eddy Suyanto that he, on behalf of the Vice President, would give the money to Bakrie on Saturday.

Bakrie finding was very precious to the search activities of the missing jetliner as the search and rescue teams were previously clueless despite the deployment a number of high technology search vehicles.

Related Story: Fishermen find parts of jetliner

Traditional shipbuilder As'ad Abdullah: Relying on 'God-given' skill

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

A father of six, 70-year-old As'ad Abdullah from Pegerungan Kecil, Madura is known as a traditional shipbuilder.

He relies on traditional instruments like a pasah (plane), a handsaw, a screwdriver and a tatah (chisel). When he needs to measure a piece of wood for his ship, he does it by eye, without relying on tools.

"The most important thing is the union of your eyes and heart. When your eyes look at something and you do not waver in your heart, rest assured your measurement will be accurate," Abdullah said. Your eyes and your heart will be united, he added, if you keep your heart clean.

"You must refrain from any feelings of envy or jealousy and submit yourself totally to God."

Owing to his traditional boat-making skills, As'ad has been assigned the job of making a vessel engraved as a relief at Borobodur temple, later called Borobodur Samudraraksa (Guardian of the Sea).

The vessel symbolizes the grandeur of the Indonesian people's ancestors, who were known to be seafarers as far back as the seventh century AD. The vessel that As'ad made on the basis of a model in the relief of Borobudur temple was later used for a voyage to trace what is historically known as the Cinnamon Route up to Madagascar and Ghana in Africa.

As'ad made this vessel traditionally, using neither a ruler nor nails. To obtain the curved shape of the wood, for example, he would simply put the wood in embers for some time.

"I saw only once the picture of the vessel I would later make and then remembered it well," he said.

It took him four months to make the vessel. In the process, As'ad, who was accompanied by a British expert, Nick Burningham, often debated with his British colleague. Burningham once doubted whether As'ad's vessel could ever float because it had been made in the traditional manner.

Burningham told him, As'ad said, that according to modern science, a shipmaker would start with the outer part of a ship's hold before proceeding with the inner part. As'ad, instead, believed it was the other way around.

"I didn't use a ruler and relied on my two eyes only when measuring the wood, so Nick was afraid the vessel was not symmetrical and would not be able to float. At one point, I told him flatly that if he did not trust me, he could make the vessel himself," As'ad said, reminiscing.

In June 2003 the vessel was put to the test in a voyage from Pagerungan to Bali, via Banyuwangi. On July 15, the vessel was inaugurated by State Minister for Tourism I Gde Ardika in Benoa, Bali, and on August 15, President Megawati saw it off at the start of an expedition to retrace the Cinnamon Route.

The vessel, manned by a crew of 14 people led by I Gusti Ngurah Sedana as captain, sailed on a four-month ocean voyage, visiting Mahajaga port, Madagascar, Ghana and South Africa before finally being put in a museum.

For the 40-ton vessel, which measures 18.26 meters long, 4.50 m. wide and 2.25 m. high, 100 cubic meters of wood of various kinds, such as nyamlong, teak and tamarind, were needed.

The ship, which has two sails with dual outriggers and is capable of carrying 15,000 liters of potable water, half a ton of food, half a ton of personal effects and two tons of spices, is also provided with navigational equipment such as a global positioning system device, an echo sounder (to ascertain the depth of sea water) and a satellite telephone.

As'ad said he had never learned from anybody how to make a vessel. He believed his ship-making skill was God's gift. He also said he had never took part in any particular religious rite before making a vessel. Instead, he submitted himself totally to God.

In 1970 he made his first vessel. It was a small fishing boat. "I kept thinking about vessels and imagining them. Then I started to make one and, lo and behold, I was able to make a fishing boat from a hollowed-out log. I realized then that God had bestowed on me this special skill," he said.

To date, he has made over 100 ships of various sizes. At present he is also making another, ordered from Banyuwangi. The 100-ton vessel is a reconstruction of one of the ships in the fleet of the Majapahit Kingdom.

September 28, 2005