35 Indonesian fishermen caught encroaching

The Jakarta Post

IPOH, Kuala Lumpur (The Star\ANN): Thirty-five Indonesian fishermen in two boats were caught encroaching into Malaysian waters near Pulau Jarak.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency officers detained the men, aged 16 to 50, during a routine patrol some 48.2 nautical miles from Pulau Pangkor at 8.30 a.m. Sunday.

Assistant investigating officer Bintara Kanan Nor Azman Muslimin said the fishermen surrendered themselves. Also seized were the Indonesians' two boats and their equipment.

Tens of isles in South Kalimantan remain nameless

The Jakarta Post

KOTABARU, South Kalimantan (Antara): Tens of isles in Kotabaru District, South Kalimantan Province, are still nameless and have not been identified, according to a local official.

Kotabaru District has a total of 90 isles measuring 9,422.73 square-km or 25.21 percent of South Kalimantan territories, but some of those isles were not yet identified, Akhmad Rivai of Kotabaru Border line office, said Saturday.

"Identification of those isles is crucial for public service administration and to avoid conflicts with neighboring provinces of South and West Sulawesi," he said.

Cargo costs set record as world runs short of ships

Timesonline

Carl Mortished, International Business Editor

Cargo freight rates are soaring as the world runs out of ships to satisfy the extraordinary craving for fuel, grain and metals.

The Baltic Exchange’s Dry Cargo Index reached a record high of 6,230 points yesterday as the market responded to the shortage by propelling the cost of shipping to record levels. The Dry Cargo Index’s previous peak was at 6,208 points in December 2004.

The daily rate for the largest vessels, known as capesize – capable of carrying 172,000 tonnes of cargo – reached $106,289 yesterday, while panamax rates, for vessels that can carry up to 74,000 tonnes, reached $47,100 a day.

Jeremy Penn, chief executive of the Baltic Exchange, said that the continuing strength of Chinese demand for coal and iron ore was propelling rates higher. The China factor, “coupled with delays in Australian ports and a weak dollar, have given the freight markets a boost”, Mr Penn said.

China’s increasing impact on the commodity markets was having knock-on effects on third countries. Japan and South Korea are now sourcing raw materials from countries farther away, such as Australia, Brazil and Indonesia, leading to longer sea voyages and leaving fewer ships available for charter.

Increasing volatility in the underlying physical market for vessels is having the additional effect of driving up volumes in the recently created derivatives market. The derivatives market uses Baltic Exchange indices to settle future contracts.

Until the recent surge in activity, the Dry Cargo Index had traded in a range between 500 and 2,500 points from 1985 to 2003.

C Java fish production more than 33,830 tons

Semarang (ANTARA News) - The fish catch of Central Java`s fishermen from January through March 2007 reached 33,830.18 tons worth Rp144.05 billion.

Head of the Mira Baruna rural cooperative society`s production center Mahmud said in Semarang on Friday that the fish catch in the first quarter of this year had increased compared to the 27,862.88 tons worth Rp 118.15 billion of last year`s corresponding period, thanks to the favorable climate.

He predicted that this year`s fish catch in Central Java, judging from the fish catch in the first quarter, may reach 151,756.2 tons estimated at Rp620.2 billion.

He also said that part of the fish is also exported to some counries in the form of canned tuna, frozen shrimp, canned and frozen crabs, enchovies, frozen squids, lobsters, dried fish and sardines.

Explosion on oil tanker in river kills 4 crew members

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (AP): Sparks from faulty electronics ignited the fuel hold of an empty oil tanker navigating a Sumatran river, triggering an explosion that killed four crew members, a police spokesman said Thursday.

The MT Maulana, leased by Indonesian state-owned oil giant PT Pertamina, had delivered a load of diesel fuel and was returning to port Wednesday afternoon when the blast went off in the machine room, said police investigator Darul Qotnu. He said 12 survivors, including the captain, were being questioned.

It took firefighters about two hours to bring the blaze under control, Qotnu said.

Tugboats had towed the charred wreckage of the 1,500-ton ship out of traffic lanes on the Siak river, which connects the regional port directly to the Malacca Strait, one of the world's busiest waterways, he said.

The incident occurred about 900 kilometers (560 miles) northwest of the capital Jakarta.

The Wisdom Of Palau's Elders

The Hartford Courant

April 25, 2007

Village elders on the tiny Pacific island nation of Palau could teach New England's commercial fishing industry and Congress a thing or three about marine conservation.

For generations, elders protected the tropical island's supply of reef fish using an age-old practice of rotating which stocks could be caught.

But by the 1980s, the elders' wisdom had been shouldered aside. A growing population, worldwide demand for seafood and destructive fishing practices started to take a toll on the island's beloved snappers and groupers, which got smaller and fewer.

In 1994 some elders pushed back, banning fishing on a small section of one local reef. Within years, islanders started to notice fish on the reef were bigger and more abundant.

The reef became famous. Soon, other villages imposed bans. Palau now protects a 460-square-mile patchwork of reefs and lagoons and has become an international destination for recreational diving. Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Indonesia followed suit. Today, scientists are confirming what Palau's village elders seemed to know: Marine preserves protect the ocean's biodiversity and shield stocks from overfishing.

Recently, California joined the movement to protect the health of oceans.

State wildlife regulators adopted a sweeping plan creating an offshore network of connected ocean preserves where fishing and other human activities will be restricted or banned. The first phase protects 1,150 square miles of offshore areas along California's central coast. Human activity will be banned from 8 percent of those areas, leaving the remaining open to limited sport and commercial fishing.

Scientists tell us that relentless overfishing could well cause the collapse of 90 percent of the world's commercial fisheries by mid-century. That goes for New England especially, where shortsighted management practices have kept many stocks teetering on the brink of exhaustion for decades.

The New England Fishery Management Council seems incapable of rising to the level of wisdom shown by Palau's village elders. By moving to establish offshore marine preserves along New England's coast, Congress will ensure the protection of the region's once-plentiful fish stocks for future generations.

Bali`s canned fish exports increase 266 percent

Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA News) - Bali`s canned fish exports in the first quarter of this year increased 266.5 percent, the province`s trade and industry office said on Thursday.

In the January-March period 2007, Bali exported 1,864 tons of canned fish worth US$2.6 million or up from 328 tons valued at US$724,696 in the same period in 2006, the office said in a report.

The canned fish export performance was encouraging because the commodity disappeared from Bali`s export commodity list some time ago.

Bali`s canned fish industry is located in Jembrana district, some 80 km west of Denpasar, Bali`s provincial capital.

The disappearance of Bali`s canned fish from the export list some time in the past did not mean that Bali had stopped producing canned fish. Its canned fish exports were shipped from Surabaya, East Java, so that the export records were made in East Java.

Bali`s canned fish is exported to the United States, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore. The trade and industry office of Bali hoped that export of the commodity would continue to increase.

Besides canned fish, Bali was also exporting canned meat -- produced in Denpasar -- mainly to Singapore. But the canned meat was shipped from Batam so that the export was not registered in Denpasar.

Bank Indonesia says bank loans to shipping sector 'still low'

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Domestic banks' loans exposure to the local shipping industry remains low and needs to increase in order to help the sector develop, a Bank Indonesia (BI) official said.

"Bank loans to the shipping industry have been relatively small, standing at 6.72 trln rupiah as of end March, or about 0.8 pct of total bank loans," BI's division head for bank regulation and research, Made Sadguna, was quoted by XFN Asia as telling a seminar.

He said those loans satisfied only about 19.5 pct of the amount the shipping industry estimates it needs.

Separately, Bank Mandiri director Sentot Sentausa said the bank aims to raise its loans exposure to the domestic shipping industry to 2 trln rupiah this year, up from 700 bln last year.

Bali to host Asian Beach Games next year

DENPASAR (Antara): Bali will host the 1st Asian Beach Games on Oct. 18 - 26 next year, spokesman of the event said on Monday.

"Some 5,000 athletes from 45 countrie`s are expected to take part in the event which will compete 13 numbers," Indra Kartasasmita told the press when socializing the event.

All the numbers competed will be held in all beaches in the island, including in Sanur, Nusa Dua, Jimbaran, Kuta and Benoa, he added.

Among the 13 numbers are surfing, wind surfing, wood sport, diving, takraw, marathon swimming and traditional boat.

Poaching issue of concern for region: Rahim

Daily Express Malaysia

Kota Kinabalu: Poaching by foreigners in Malaysian waters off Sabah not only underscores the losses suffered by the nation but is also felt by neighbouring countries like Philippines and Indonesia.

Agriculture and Food Industry Minister, Datuk Abdul Rahim Ismail, said this in reference to the recent poaching of turtles, sharks, tunas and rays by Chinese fishermen off Sabah.

"We share many valuable resources in the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas, particularly species that are migratory or stocks that straddle our borders such as marine mammals, tunas and turtles.

"Therefore, I am certain that poaching of marine species is also an issue of concern for the Filipinos and Indonesians, Philippines and Indonesia could also call the poaching of turtles as losses of their own as both countries have strong turtle conservation programmes like Malaysia," he said.

Rahim said this when launching a three-day 2nd meeting of the SSME Programme Tri-National Committee, here, Friday.

Among the focuses of the meeting of the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Eco-region (SSME) Programme Tri-National Committee, will be on sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, endangered, migratory and charismatic species as well as marine protected areas.

The SSME, which is an area of more than a million square kilometres, is a treasure trove of marine biodiversity enjoyed by the three countries.

In the meeting, the delegates will deliberate on plans for future conservation activities.

Also present were Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Datuk Gregory Joitol cum head delegation of Malaysia, Sabah Fisheries Department Director Rayner Datuk Stuel Galid, SSME Committee Chairman Dr Ir. Gellwyn Yusuf, head of delegation of the Republic of Indonesia Dr Samedi, and Head of the delegation of the Philippines, Dr Manuel V.A. Bravo.

In this respect, Rahim expressed hoped that conservation initiatives planned under this SSME programme will result in stronger cooperation in combating the wanton destruction of the shared treasures and heritage between Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines.

"A week ago, enforcement agencies from our country and Philippines had discussions on the next round of operations during the 14th Border Patrol Coordinating Group meeting here.

"Another example is the Joint Management Committee of the Philippines and Malaysia that oversees turtle conservation and protection efforts. Not only that, Indonesia and our nation also have similar arrangement," he said.

Rahim said he has high hopes that such collaboration with the two neighbouring countries will become more enhanced to achieve the desired objectives.

In addition, he hoped the SSME programme would include proposals for strong and focused communication, education and public awareness initiatives.

Captain of Senopati ferry finally named suspect

The Jakarta Post

SEMARANG, Central Java (Antara): Central Java police finally named captain of Senopati Nusantara ship Wiratno Cendanawasih suspect over the sinking of the ferry late last year, killing hundreds of passengers.

The ferry, carrying 628 passengers sank in Central Java waters when it was heading from Kumai seaport in Central Kalimantan to Central Java's seaport of Tanjung Emas in the provincial capital of Semarang.

Rescuers could lift 330 people alive, 63 people dead, and 330 people still went missing.

Head of Central Java's Water Police Adj. Sr. Comr. Sukadji said Friday that the captain had been detained after he was grilled as a suspect.

Jakarta fishermen to move to Banten

The Jakarta Post

BANTEN: The Jakarta administration has proposed to the Banten administration the relocation of 50 fishing boats from the North Jakarta ports of Muara Angke and Muara Baru to fishing areas in the neighboring province.

"(The Jakarta administration) said the two fishing ports are overcrowded ... we have to conduct a study on the social impacts of the relocation first before responding," Banten fisheries and maritime agency head Irawan Muripto said Friday.

He added that 1,500 people rely on the boats for their livelihood.

The most suitable new locations, Irawan said, are Labuan and Panimbang districts in Pandeglang regency "because the population is still low compared to other fishing areas".

Separately, Banten legislative council member M. Babay Sujawandi said the relocation would only succeed if the fishermen contributed to the province's fishery production.

"They'll fish in our waters so they should be made to sell their hauls in Banten," he said. -- JP

LIPI ready to meet radar demand

Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) says it has met specifications set by the Indonesian Navy after successfully develop maritime radars.

The institute announced Monday that it had successfully developed maritime radar technology in collaboration with the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands. The radar is able to detect any object entering Indonesian territorial waters.

"The Defense Ministry has ordered three maritime radars with a coverage of about 35 nautical miles each," said LIPI's radar project head researcher Mashury Wahab on Thursday.

Mashury, who attended a two-day radar seminar at LIPI headquarters, said the Navy required a radar with a minimum coverage of 20 nautical miles.

The institute said, however, that further research is still required to meet specifications set by the Air Force.

"Usually, it takes about six months to build a radar after the order is placed. The manufacturing time for each unit for an institution may also vary as a radar is usually ordered for customization," he said.

"Military and civil radars, such as for the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG), have different characteristics and specifications."

As for the Air Force, Mashury said LIPI was already planning to develop a more sophisticated radar system.

"Our partner from the Technical University of Delft is optimistic that we could develop the radar, as they have enough expertise."

Local engineers, he said, were already able to repair foreign radars used by the Air Force.

The Air Force, which currently uses radars imported from the U.K. and France, said it would use domestically-produced radars developed by LIPI provided they have a coverage of 250 nautical miles.

It is estimated that the cost of using domestically-produced radars is one-tenth the cost of using imported radars.

Umar Anggara Jenie, LIPI's chairman, told The Jakarta Post that the further development and implementation of domestically-produced radars would have to occur in phases.

"We should first apply the currently available technology before reaching the next level," he said.

"A leap in such technology, such as in the enlargement of the radar's radius, cannot be achieved without using the currently available technology first."

Mashury insisted the advancement of local radar technology should be balanced with the establishment of a supporting organization.

"Indonesia needs a national radar organization as a means of communication between related institutions. It'll become a forum for exchanging ideas and to collaborate in research," he said.

He proposed that the organization should consist of highly-ranked officials, such as government ministers dealing with defense, research and technology affairs, chairpersons of LIPI, BMG and the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology, as well as representatives from state airport operators PT Angkasa Pura I and II.

Dean of the School of Electrical Engineering and Informatics at the Bandung Institute of Technology, Adang Suwandi Ahmad, said that prior to reaching the manufacturing stage, radars should be subject to testing and certification phases.

"Then we also need supporting industries such as the state-owned aircraft maker PT Dirgantara Indonesia," he said.

Govt to make 15 new ferries until 2009

Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA News) - The government is planning to build 15 new ferries until 2009 to replace old ones, a transportation official said here Wednesday.

"The program will hopefully improve people`s confidence in sea transportation," spokesman of the Transportation Ministry`s transportation system division NM Teweng told a meeting on West Nusatenggara (NTB) development planning taking place here April 16-19.

Many participants of the meeting had lodged complaints about old ferries which were still being used in inter-island transportation in NTB province.

They also expressed dissatisfaction about the condition of special ferry ports in NTB which only had worn-out ferries.

Teweng said the government had conducted an audit on all transportation sector modes to improve safety and comfort in transportation services.

He said the government was committed to improving national transportation service, safety and human resources development, science/technology improvement, energy saving and transportation business betterment in order to restore people`s confidence in the transportation sector.

Deadly accidents in air,sea and land transportation have befallen the country during the past few months.

A passenger ship carrying more than 500 people sank on its way from Kalimantan to Java late December while a plane carrying more than 100 passengers went missing on its way from Surabaya city to Manado city early this year.

Aceh teams up with Irish firm to develop Sabang port

Andi Haswidi, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

The Sabang Free Trade Zone Management Board (BPKS) in Aceh province will team up with Ireland's Dublin Port Company (DPC) to develop Sabang into a world-class port at a cost of some Rp 4 trillion (about US$445 million).

BPKS deputy president Nasruddin Daud said Tuesday in Aceh's capital, Banda Aceh, that the two bodies would set up a joint venture company, to be called PT Sabang Hub International Port, in June to develop the port.

The construction of the port, which is expected to begin soon after the establishment of the joint venture company, is scheduled for completion in five years.

Sabang is an island located at the most western tip of the archipelago within the boundaries of Aceh province.

"The total investment, which it is estimated will come to about Rp 4 trillion, will be shared fifty-fifty between Dublin Port and us," he said. "Right now, we are still at the pre-qualification stage for consultants to design the port," he explained.

Nasruddin said that the contract between the BPKS and DPC, which would be signed in June, would run for 50 years.

After the long conflict in Aceh ended following the tsunami disaster in 2004, both the central and provincial governments have agreed to afford Sabang special treatment as the island is believed to have the potential to serve as an import-export hub.

Sabang will now be developed as a free-trade zone, a status that it also held back in the 1960s, and will have the capacity to accommodate ocean-going vessels.

Financing for the development of the port, Nasruddin said, would come from the central government, but would be separate from the funds allocated to the province for reconstruction work, which, in Sabang's case, was being funded by the BRR, provincial government and central government.

"We received Rp 100 billion out of last year's national budget, and Rp 195 billion from this year's budget. In addition, we received Rp 3 billion from the provincial budget in 2006, and will receive another Rp 1.5 billion this year," he said.

"As for the BRR, this year they are going to spend Rp 45 billion on rehabilitating local infrastructure, including the water purification plant and water mains," he said.

Speaking to The Jakarta Post earlier, the director of the Aceh Provincial Investment Coordinating Board, Teuku Zainal Arifin Panglima Polem, said that a "world-class resort" would also be built on Sabang.

"Sabang is an excellent place for ecotourism with its beautiful beaches. It's also the perfect spot for divers. We plan to develop the island as an exclusive resort so as to attract big-spending tourists," he said.

According to a recent BKPS report, some 70 to 80 foreign tourists visit Sabang every weekend, with many of them being NGO officers working in Aceh. Tourists also come from German and other parts of Europe for the excellent diving around the island.

Berlian Laju Tanker to buy new vessels for $500 mln

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Shipping firm PT Berlian Laju Tanker said it plans to buy second-hand and new vessels for a total of 500 mln usd over the next 12 months, pending shareholders' approval at a meeting scheduled for May 24.

In a statement, the company said the vessels will be purchased using internally generated cash and bank loans.

The company added it also plans to raise funds via the issue of 207.88 mln new shares, or 5 pct of total shares on issue, also pending shareholders' approval.

The rights issue will be conducted through a private placement mechanism to one or a number of new investors, the company told XFN Asia.

Piracy in Southeast Asian seas dropped in 1st quarter of 2007

The Jakarta Post

SINGAPORE (AP): Pirate attacks in Southeast Asian sea lanes fell to their lowest level in five years in the first quarter of 2007 due to increased patrols and other anti-piracy measures, according to a report by Singapore researchers.

So far this year, there have been 10 reported armed robberies and other piracy attacks and two attempted attacks, said the report, released this week by Nanyang Technological University researchers.

"These figures continue to suggest that the overall number of attacks in the region appears to be trending downward,' said the report.

It also noted a decrease in violence, with only one of the reported cases involving firearms. Unlike the first quarters of the last five years, there were no ship hijackings or kidnaps for ransom.

More than half of the attacks took place in Indonesian ports and anchorages, and the others in the Malacca Strait and the territorial waters of Vietnam and Malaysia, said the report, the second on regional piracy by NTU.

Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore began coordinating their sea patrols of the narrow Malacca Strait - through which half the world's oil trade and a third of global commerce pass - in July 2004 and started air patrols in 2005.

Frequent attacks in the Malacca Strait had caused leading international shipping insurer Lloyd's to give the waterway a "war-risk" rating in 2005. That designation was lifted last August, with the insurer saying security had improved due to long-term security measures.

Jane Chan, an associate research fellow at NTU, that the figures for the study were compiled from weekly updates issued by London's International Maritime Bureau and newspaper reports. Chan's co-authors were Lt. Col. Joshua Ho, a Singapore Navyofficer and senior fellow at NTU's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

LIPI makes cheap sea, air radar

The Jakarta Post

The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) introduced Monday its own maritime radar that will monitor any potential air threat or a vessel accident at sea for one tenth of the cost of an imported radar.

"Imported radars are expensive and the purchasing procedure can take a long time because (a radar is) considered a strategic defense item," LIPI's radar project lead researcher Mashury said.

For one radar with a distance signal of 67 kilometers, the Indonesian Military (TNI) can spend up to US$100,000.

"Indonesia is an archipelago with more than 17,000 islands spread over a vast area of sea so we would need many units of the devices," Mashury said.

LIPI Research Center for Electronics and Telecommunication head Hizkia said the LIPI team had assisted the Indonesian government in monitoring all objects entering the country's territorial waters.

"The collision of ships and the operation of illegal vessels can be prevented by using this radar," Mashury said.

Indonesia's losses due to illegal activities at sea, including illegal log and sand shipments and fishery smuggling, amount to more than Rp 100 trillion, Mashury said.

The maritime radars can assist the Navy and the police, as well as the Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Ministry, by monitoring sea activities in real time.

What occurs at sea will be instantly detected by radar personnel.

"The number of ships (we need to monitor per square kilometer of open sea) is one ship to 72,000 square kilometers, so, according to data from the Defense Ministry, Indonesia needs about 350 patrol vessels," said Mashury.

The Navy currently has 117 ships, of which 77 are between 20 and 60 years of age.

"The operational cost of each ship is not cheap," Mashury said.

" That's why the placement of these radars will be very effective."

In mid 2006, LIPI started to collaborate with Technical University (TU) of Delft in the Netherlands to develop the radars.

LIPI built the hardware, framework, signal and antenna, while the International Research Center for Telecommunications-Transmission and Radar (IRCTR) from TU Delft designed the radar.

"TU Delft helped by making hard-to-find components available to us," Mashury said.

In the 1980s, Indonesia undertook several studies on radar hardware, including pulse generators, digital converters and antennas.

"Past research experience has helped in the finalization of the maritime radar," Mashury said.

"In principle, not much has changed regarding hardware."

The technology required for the radar's software has been developed quickly, enabling experts to access a lot more information, including distance-to-object and speed-of-object, as well as the form and contour of object.

LIPI will install the prototype radar off Cilegon, Banten.

It plans to finish constructing the radar by mid 2008.

JP/Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo)

Fate of arrested fishermen unknown

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

The fate of 28 North Sumatran fishermen who were detained by Malaysian police four months ago continues to concern and baffle relatives.

Rapeah, 32, said she had heard nothing from her husband since he was also arrested last month.

"I'm worried about my husband. It has been two weeks and he has not returned home. Other fishermen said he was arrested by Malaysian police but I don't know which jail he is being held in," said the resident of Pangkalan Brandan district, Langkat regency.

The secretary of the Indonesian Fishermen's Association in North Sumatra, Ihya Ulumuddin, said the association had tried and failed to locate the arrested fishermen.

"We regret to say that the Malaysian government and Indonesian Embassy in Malaysia have not responded to our efforts to learn the fate of our missing colleagues. This is not right," he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

"We know they are being held in Malaysia but we don't know where or know anything about their condition."

He said that based on previous experience, fishermen arrested by Malaysian police are released within four months.

"But it has already been four months and there has been no news about the fate of the fishermen," he said.

Massive coral death attributed to earthquake

Researchers say 300 kilometers of sea floor heaved more than a meter upwards

By Wildlife Conservation Society

The Firstscience.com - 11 Apr 2007

NEW YORK (APRIL 11, 2007) -- Scientists have reported what is thought to be one of the world’s greatest mass death of corals ever recorded as a result of the earthquake in Aceh, Indonesia on 28 March 2005.

The recent survey by scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society - Indonesia Program and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (ARCCoERS) investigated the condition of coral reefs in Pulau Simeulue and Pulau Banyak off Aceh, Indonesia, in March 2007.

The surveys covered 35 sites along 600 kms (372 miles) of coastline, have documented, for the first time, the effects of earthquake uplift on coral reefs. The entire island of Simeulue, with a perimeter of approximately 300 km (186 miles), was raised up to 1.2 m (3.9 feet) following the 28 March 2005 earthquake, exposing most of the coral reefs which ringed the island.

Dr Stuart Campbell coordinator of the Wildlife Conservation Society –Indonesia Marine Program reports: "This is a story of mass mortality on a scale rarely observed. In contrast to other threats like coral bleaching, none of the corals uplifted by the earthquake have survived".

Dr Andrew Baird of ARCCoERS says: "Amazingly, the uplifted corals are so well preserved we could still identify each species, despite these colonies having been exposed for two years. Some species suffered up to 100 percent loss at some sites, and different species now dominate the shallow reef." "This is a unique opportunity to document a process that occurs maybe once a century and promises to provide new insights into coral recovery processes that until now we could only explore on fossil reefs" says Dr Baird.

Dr Campbell adds "The news from Simeulue is not all bad. At many sites, the worst affected species are beginning to re-colonize the shallow reef areas. The reefs appear to be returning to what they looked like before the earthquake, although the process may take many years.

"The challenge now is to work with local communities and government agencies to protect these reefs to ensure the recovery process continues," he says. The team found coral reefs ranging from highly diverse assemblages of branching corals in sheltered waters to vast areas of table corals inhabiting surf zones. The team also documented, for the first time in Indonesia, extensive damage to reefs caused by the crown-of-thorn starfish, a coral predator that has devastated reefs in Australia and other parts of the world.

"Finding the starfish damage is particularly important" says Dr Baird. "Most observers would attribute damage on this scale to more common reef threats in Indonesia such as cyanide fishing or bleaching. People monitoring Indonesian corals reefs now have another threat to watch out for, and not all reef damage should be immediately attributed to human influences."

Many other reefs, particularly in the Pulau Banyak, continue to be damaged by destructive fishing including bombing and the use of cyanide. These practices are now illegal in Indonesia, and need immediate attention.

Dr Campbell concludes "While reef condition in south-western Aceh is generally poor, we have found some reefs in excellent condition as well as and evidence of recovery at damaged sites. This gives some hope that coral reefs in this remote region can return to their previous condition and provide local communities with the resources they need to prosper. The recovery process will be enhanced by management that encourages sustainable uses of these ecosystems and the protection of critical habitats and species to help this process."

###

MEDIA NOTES: EXCELLENT PHOTOS AVAILABLE ELECTRONICALLY

More information:

Dr Andrew Baird, CoECRS and James Cook University, Tel +61-(0)7-4781-4857; andrew.baird@jcu.edu.au

Dr Stuart J. Campbell, Marine Programs, Wildlife Conservation Society, Indonesia Program, Bogor, Java, 16151, Indonesia.

Office Tel + 62 251 321 527, hp 0812 1102952, Home Tel +62 251 328848

email: scampbell@wcs.org

Jenny Lappin, CoECRS, + 61-(0)7 4781 4222

Jim O’Brien, James Cook University Media Office, 07 4781 4822

www.coralcoe.com.au

Malaysia moves to develop aquaculture industry

Kuala Lipis (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Malaysia's Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry is developing the aquaculture industry on a massive scale by setting up aquaculture industry zones nationwide.

"The special zones can hopefully help the government realise the Trade Balance Plan by reducing the import of fish from RM8.6 billion (US$2.5 billion) last year to RM1.2 billion within the Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006-2010) period," said Ministry Secretary-General Dr Zulkifli Idris.

Last year, the demand for aquaculture produce rose 21.5 per cent to 662,000 metric tonnes from 400,000 a year earlier, he told reporters. Besides meeting local demand, quality aquaculture produce such as "siakap", "kerapu" and tiger prawns could also be exported, he added.

Tanjung Priok to Become Hub Port

Monday, 09 April, 2007 | 20:55 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The government will increase the capacity of Tanjung Priok Port, Jakarta and transform the harbor to become the national collector or hub port.

This plan was discussed during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday (4/4). Now what matters is how to put the plan into operation,” said H. Harijogi, the Director General of Sea Transportation, on Thursday (5/4) last week.

According to him, it is planned that the Koja Container Terminal and the Jakarta International Container Terminal will be merged.

The government will also take steps to overcome current difficulties, including the restriction of port access in terms of the flow of goods.

The State-Owned Enterprises State Ministry and the Finance Department are currently studying the plan.

“Hopefully it can be implemented as soon as possible,” said Harijogi.

He went on to say, the increase of Tanjung Priok's capacity will reduce dependency on shipping trade goods through ports abroad, as happens now.

Around 80 percent of Indonesia's export goods must still go through Singapore's port.

“So in the future, it isn't only being a feeder port but also being oriented towards end destinations,” said Harijogi.

Currently. Tanjung Priok Port is ranked in 23rd position out of the top 30 ports in the world.

“Growth is relatively slow if compared to the regional ports' growth rate,” said Saut Gurning, a maritime observer from the Technology Institute of Surabaya.

Saut sent his research results by electronic mail to Tempo last week.

Harun Mahbub

20 including one Indonesian missing in ship collision in East China

The Jakarta Post

SHANGHAI, China (AP): Rescuers searched Monday for 20 crew members left missing when a Chinese ship and a foreign cargo vessel collided off the east China coast, officials said.

The foreign-registered 6,500-ton cargo ship "Harvest" was traveling from Shanghai to Vietnam when it collided early Sunday with the 17,000-ton Chinese vessel "Jinhaikun" in Taizhou Bay, south of Shanghai, said an official at the news office of the State Administration of Work Safety.

Like many Chinese government officials, he refused to give his name.

He said a search for survivors was under way.

The 19 Chinese and one Indonesian missing in the accident were all on the Harvest, the administration said in a report released via the official Xinhua News Agency.

According to the industry publication Shipping Times, the Harvest was registered in Belize and was carrying 5,000 tons of steel when it sank.

Police arrest three Philippine vessels for alleged poaching

BIAK, Papua (Antara): Indonesian water police arrested three Philippine vessels which were poaching in the waters off the Pulau Moesbepondi island, Supiori district, Papua, on Sunday.

Commandant of Youtifa 301 petrol boat of Papua's Water Police Directorate, Adj. Snr Comm Sirwutubun, said here on Monday that two of the vessels were used to load fish cathings while the other one was used to fish.

"Police are now detaining the three ships with 30 tons of catchings they have cought in the Biak Numfor waters," he said.

He said that the ships and their crew members were detained for intensive investigation.

Sirwutubun said based on the preliminary investigation, the crew members of the ships possessed temporary stay permits which expired in March 2007.

He said that based on Law No. 31 / 2004 on fisheries, foreign fishing vessels which possessed permits to fish in Indonesian waters were required to unload their catch at an Indonesian fish port.

The police officer said that it was suspected that the three vessels did not comply with the standing rules.

Uphold safety management in RI waters: Seafarers

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian Seafarers Association (KPI) has asked the government to implement a safety management system to minimize accidents on Indonesian waters.

"To win the public's trust on sea transportation, the government has to adopt international safety management measures and enforce them on all vessels, no matters who the owners are," KPI chairman Hanafi Rustandi said after a meeting with the government and the Indonesian National Shipowners Association (INSA) here Saturday.

"All ships must have all the required certificates and documents before sailing permits are issued. All ships failing to meet the international requirements should be grounded and their permits should be revoked."

Hanafi said the increasing number of sea accidents, which have claimed thousands of lives over the past two years, is connected with the weak enforcement of both the sailing law and a safety management system.

He said KPI supported the recent detainment of cargo vessels Serasi I and Serasi II at Tanjung Perak, Surabaya, and Tanjung Priok, Jakarta, for their failure to satisfy Indonesian sea safety regulations.

The two cargo ships, traveling from Jakarta to other ports nationwide, were grounded for being too old. The ships' owners also failed to renew their international safety certificates and operational permits.

"Like many other ships operating in Indonesia, the two vessels were bought from abroad (Japan) and repainted to give the impression they were still feasible for operation," he said. "But according to their old age, they should have been grounded.

"The two ships will undergo a three-month audit and will need more time to obtain the necessary documents. If they resume operation in the next three months, their owners will likely have bought their documents from authorities," he added.

Port authorities nationwide have been ordered to bar undocumented ships from sailing until they obtain the requisite documents.

The delivery of these instructions shadows several sea accidents over the last four months in Bangka-Belitung, Seribu Islands waters off Jakarta and Karimunjawa waters off Central Java.

Hanafi said he had received several reports from seafarers pertaining to violations committed by passenger ships and cargo ships in relation to international safety regulations and operational documents.

He warned that sea accidents would continue if the government failed to audit passenger and cargo ships, many of which were too old to operate and lacked operational certificates.

"In the case of accidents, shipowners will not suffer much because their ships are insured, but passengers and crew are risking their lives," he said.

Meanwhile, INSA has objected to the government's move to tightly enforce sea transportation regulations, insisting it will make life difficult for the association.

"Shipowners have no objections to the move, but the government should revise the tariff system, lower the fuel price for the transportation industry and eliminate all red tape in the bureaucracy and high-cost economy. The low-tariff system is not comparable with safety demands," INSA deputy chairman Sjarifudin Mallarangan said.

He said many shipowners had complained about the current tariff of Rp 325 (3.5 U.S. cents) per sea mile per passenger, which is considerably less than the Rp 800 tariff set by the government in 2003.

To increase competition in the sea transportation industry, he said, the government should revise the tariff system in accordance with regulations, eliminate all red tape at ports and on waters and provide a fuel subsidy.

Two fish ports to build Jambi into int`l fish trading center

Jambi (ANTARA News) - Two fish ports in Sumatra`s east coast will develop Jambi province into an international fish trading center.

Head of the Jambi Marine and Fishery Agency Herman Suherman said here on Sunday that the two fish ports are located respectively in Nipah Panjang Subdistrict,Tanjung Jabung Timur Regency, and in Kuala Tungkal Subdistrict, Tanjung Jabung Barat Regency.

The construction of the two fish ports is almost completed, and the only infrastructure left to be built is a road to reach them.

The Ministry of Marine and Fishery Affairs has prepared several billions of rupiah for the building of the two fish ports.

In the meantime, the fish ports in Kuala Tungkal Subdistrict is already 95 pct completed, and scheduled for operation in 2008.

The infrastructure now left to be completed include a road from the pier to the main road, an ice plant, and a clean water plant.

Meanwhile, the fish port in Nipah Panjang, covering 20 hectares of land, will also be developed into an international scale fishing trading center.

However, the building of the fish port in Nipah Panjang is more costly than the one in Kuala Tungkal, because it is not only being developed into an international fish trading center, but into fish industrial center of Jambi Province as well.

Malaysian Police Detain 23 Indonesian Fishermen

Playfulls.com

Malaysian police have detained 23 Indonesian fishermen after they were found to have been been fishing in waters off the eastern Sabah state on Borneo island, reports said Thursday.

Marine police detained the 23 men, aged between 17 and 40, and seized four boats containing a barrel of fish and two live sea turtles, the department's regional enforcement chief Ahmad Puzi Abdul Kahar was quoted as saying by the official Bernama agency.

Ahmad Puzi said the fishermen and their boats would be handed over to the Fisheries Department for further action, adding that the two turtles were immediately released.

Last month, marine police seized more than 300 sea turtles - most of them dead and preserved - and detained 32 Chinese fishermen for encroachment and poaching of the endangered animals.

Indonesia`s Arpeni to buy new vessels for S100 mln

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Shipping firm PT Arpeni Pratama Ocean Line said it is planning to purchase new vessels for a total of 100 mln usd, from now until July 2008.

In a statement, it said it is buying cargo, bulk carrier, tanker, tugboat, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier, barge and floating crane vessels.

The purchases will be 70 pct financed through bank loans and the rest from internal cash, the company told XFN Asia.

It added that it will seek shareholder approval for the acquisitions at a meeting on May 2.

False dates found on sea safety equipment

The Jakarta Post

BANTEN: Safety inspectors have seized hundreds of items of marine safety equipment aboard ferries crossing the Sunda Strait in Merak Port, Banten, due to their allegedly falsified expiry dates.

Port authority head Dalle Effendi said Tuesday the confiscated equipment had expired in 1998 but the expiry date on its packaging was 2010.

The safety equipment, including smoke flares, rockets and emergency food supplies, was stored in 25 lifeboats aboard a number of ferries.

Dalle, however, did not identify the ferries, saying only that the investigation was ongoing.

He said ferry crew members had tried to convince the safety inspectors the equipment had been checked and would not expire until 2010.

Besides keeping the ferries from leaving the port, the port authority also sent out a letter notifying sea safety equipment companies of the finding.

The port authority had previously acknowledged that more than half of the ferries sailing from Merak Port to Bakauheni on Sumatra island did not meet international safety standards.}

According to Dalle, the central government was largely to blame for not putting a limit on the age of vessels. Therefore, he urged the Transportation Ministry to ban vessels over the age of 20 years from operating, for passengers' safety.

"Setting an age limit will help minimize accidents at sea," he said, adding that the age of ferries crossing the Sunda Strait ranged from 15 to 37 years.

Navy investigates 17 seized foreign fishing boats

The Jakarta Post

SURABAYA, East Java (Antara): The Indonesian Navy has been investigating 17 foreign boats seized when they were illegally fishing in Indonesian waters.

Eastern Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Moekhlas Sidik said Monday that many of the boats, which were seized mostly in Arafura Sea, Papua province, came from Taiwan and China.

Moekhlas stressed that he had ordered all members of Indonesian Navy to take stern action against those, who violated Indonesian territory.

"We also hopes that all parties support our move to stop crimes on the sea," he was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.