Lunar eclipse to summon violent waves near Sumatra

The Jakarta Post | Sat, 01/31/2009 7:49 PM

The West Sumatra Natural Disaster Coordinating Unit has warned fishermen and sea travel operators that the lunar eclipse on Feb. 9 could summon violent waves with up to five meters high.

Unit head Ade Edward said Saturday that the gravitational effect of the eclipse would be accompanied by strong wind from the Indian Ocean heading towards seashores in Sumatra, creating beach abrasion and flood.

“We have issued warnings for violent waves, flood, landslide and abrasion to all regency and cities in West Sumatra, so that they will be prepared for the extreme weather condition, which will peak in February,” Ade said.

He also said fishermen were urged to watch over the sky before going to the sea, “if the clouds are dark, they better not go to sea.” (and)

Pick me up

The Jakarta Post   |  Sat, 01/31/2009 10:02 AM 

  

A container being picked up by newly installed double quay cranes operated by container port operator Jakarta International Container Terminal (JICT) at the Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta, on Friday. The new cranes, supplied by China’s Zhen Huan Port Machinery Company Ltd., will boost container handling capacity of JICT, which already has 18 cranes in place. JP/Ricky Yudhistira

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Jakarta to revamp Manggarai sluice gates

Triwik Kurniasari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 01/27/2009 1:27 PM

The city administration plans to build one more gate at South Jakarta's Manggarai sluice gates to regulate the water flow better.

"The new gate would be installed next to the existing ones, requiring the government to acquire some land plots," Pitoyo Subandrio, head of the Ciliwung-Cisadane Flood Bureau at the Public Works Ministry, said on Saturday.

"The new gate will reduce flooding because the water will run more smoothly than before."

Pitoyo said the space for the gates, which were built in the 1920s by the Dutch government, would be widened by a dozen meters.

The width of a gate is about six meters, excluding the pillars.

Included in the Manggarai revamp is the clearing of the areas along the Ciliwung River, from the Casablanca bridge to the Manggarai sluice gate.

Flood management expert Jan Jaap Brinkman from the Netherlands Water Research Institute (Deltares) confirmed the urgency of an additional gate in Manggarai.

"The Manggarai gates need to be improved because they are too small. At this moment it is two gates, but it needs to be three gates," Brinkman, who is also the team leader of Flood Hazarding Mapping 2 at the Public Works Ministry, said.

Brinkman was speaking after the signing of an agreement between Indonesia and the Netherlands in the fields of meteorology, water management, climate change and early warning systems.

The administration is currently running flood mitigation projects in anticipation of the rainy season.

It is now dredging 12 waterways across the city, including in Pademangan River and Mati canal (in North Jakarta), Cakung River (East Jakarta) and Grogol in West Jakarta.

The Rp 23 billion (US$2.04 million) project is set to dredge 243,322 cubic meters of garbage out of the canals. The canals range from 467 meters to 3,533 meters long.

The administration is also working on the East Flood Canal project, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The canal will be the primary flood control mechanism for East and North Jakarta.

The 23.5-kilometer East Flood Canal will stretch across 11 subdistricts in East Jakarta and two subdistricts in North Jakarta.

PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol Tbk, developer of the Ancol recreational area, is building another five submersible water pumps at its site in anticipation of floods in February.

"We are building three new water pumps in West Ancol and two more in East Ancol to add to the existing 62 pumps; we hope they will be finished by February," Nurvita Sari, the developer's manager of property maintenance, said.

The new and existing pumps, each able to pump 30 cubic meters of water per minute, will drain water from households in Ancol to the Ancol River.

"After the water reaches Ancol River, it's the city's public works agency's responsibility to channel the water to Pluit and Sunter dams," she said.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), said that in February the sea level would rise 1.2 meters above normal levels due to a high tide, with the possibility of heavy downpours.

YJ Harwanto, the developer's general manager of its corporate plan, said they were also raising the wave breakers, adding night shifts to watch over the water level and setting up an information board about the sea level. (fmb)

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Derivatives May Land Banks In Court

 The Jakarta Globe, Ardian Wibisono & Teguh Prasetyo, January 27, 2009

Containers loading at Jakarta International Container Terminal at Tanjung Priok port. Exporters and importers may resort to action against banks to prevent further losses from speculative investment products. (Photo: Yudhi Sukma Wijaya, JG)

 

Exporters and importers may resort to legal action against banks to prevent further losses from complicated, speculative investment products such as derivatives.

 

Toto Dirgantoro, chairman of the Indonesian Exporters Association, or GPEI, said some members have complained that banks pushed them into signing derivatives contracts without properly explaining the potential risks involved.

 

“Some of our members have asked to cancel their contracts, but the banks have refused,” Toto said on Monday. “If these banks continue to refuse to cancel these contracts, we’ll pursue legal action.”

 

Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from one or more underlying assets, including currencies, stocks or commodities. These contracts, which are usually held for hedging or speculative purposes, include futures and options.

 

Banks usually offer derivatives to take advantage of exchange-rate fluctuations. In Indonesia, these products have mainly been offered by foreign banks or lenders partly owned by foreign institutions.

 

Toto said many of its members were offered derivative contracts when the US dollar was still hovering around Rp 9,200 . A typical derivative scheme from the past year, he said, required a firm to sell a specified amount of US dollars per week for a period of a year to banks at an agreed rate of Rp 9,800 per dollar.

 

“Lots of exporters and importers were attracted to derivatives because they thought they would be profitable,” Toto said. “They were unaware of the risks involved if the rupiah fell, and the banks did not offer customers the option to cancel contracts if the rupiah plummeted.”

 

Many exporters and importers began to encounter problems when the global financial crisis caused the rupiah and commodity prices to plunge in September.

 

The rupiah bottomed out at Rp 12,600 on Nov. 20. At this point, holders of derivative contracts had to buy dollars in the open market at higher rates, and then sell them back to the banks at the agreed rates.

 

Many exporters were hammered as weakening exports meant they brought in fewer dollars. Toto said he did not know the extent of these losses. “One company held a contract worth more than $10 million,” he said.

 

In December, Bank Indonesia, the central bank, banned banks from signing new derivative contracts to speculate on the movement of the rupiah. Existing contracts were permitted to continue, however.

 

Wimboh Santoso, BI’s bureau chief of financial system stabilization, said contracts can be canceled if both parties agree to terminate the transactions.

 

BI will mediate in disputes and offers a range of restructuring schemes, including the option of converting customer liabilities into loans that have to be paid back gradually. Toto said companies and banks should ideally pursue other avenues, however.

 

“We don’t want these contracts to be converted into loans because we didn’t borrow this money for productive purposes,” Toto said. “We’re proposing that banks cancel these contracts and share the losses 50-50. That’s the only fair way.”

 

Last week, BI said that derivative-related losses at banks could significantly erode their 2008 net profits. PT Bank Danamon Tbk recently announced that its 2008 net profit fell by 29 percent to Rp 1.5 trillion , from Rp 2.11 trillion in 2007. The decline was due to a loss of Rp 800 billion on forward foreign-exchange contracts.

Fisheries sector to reel in better results

The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA | Tue, 01/27/2009 11:29 AM 

 

Indonesia may this year be in for a 45 percent increase in fishery output, from a year earlier, on the back of a government revitalization program and rising demand, in particular from the domestic market.

 

The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries has set the fishery production target at 12.78 million tons, significantly up from last year’s 8.71 million tons.

 

The 2008’s figure was a 6 percent rise from 2007.

 

“We hope to achieve the target by revitalizing the fishery sector,” Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Minister Freddy Numberi said last week. For example, he said, the ministry will build 91 additional fish landing locations and rehabilitate the 51 existing ones.

 

He said the sector would also benefit from growth in the domestic market, as seen from last year’s domestic fish consumption which rose by almost 10 percent from 26 kilograms per capita per year to 28 kilograms.

 

“The nation succeeded in achieving the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) target for fish consumption, which is between 20 and  30 kilograms,” Freddy said, adding that reduced fish prices had encouraged more people to eat fish regularly.

 

Aside from netting profits in domestic markets, the ministry is also targeting $2.8 billion in fishery exports this year, increasing from last year’s $2.6 billion.

 

“Last year we managed to boost export volumes by five percent and export value by 13 percent,” Freddy said, adding that the estimated export volume for last year was around  900,000 tons as compared to 854,000 in 2007.

 

“We also hope to increase the use of fish processing units rise to 70 percent from last year’s 55 percent,” he said.

 

According to Freddy, the fishery industry remains quite promising although it still has a long way to go in reducing national poverty.

 

Business associations played a vital part in last year’s achievements, he said. More than 40 companies invested Rp 2.56 trillion in fishery businesses, creating work for almost 5,000 people.

 

The fuel price reductions also played a role in improving fishery operations, Freddy added, as the sector consumes almost two million kiloliters for fishing boats per year.

 

The Ministry has requested a fuel quota of 2.5 million kiloliters from state-owned oil company PT Pertamina. “However, if we don’t get it, it will not be such a big problem.” 

 

However, the fishery sector must be aware of the expected fall in export values this year due to the global economic downturn. (dis)

Boat sinks off Bangka, all passengers saved

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 01/26/2009 7:33 PM 

 

A boat carrying 50 passengers from Palembang, South Sumatra to Mentok Bangka, Bangka Belitung, sank on Monday, but, luckily, all passengers were saved.

 

Bangka Belitung Police said Expres Bahari boat number 5B sank at about 3 p.m. on Monday, about one and a half hours into its trip.

 

Police officer Adj. Sr. Comr. Purwoko told Tempointeraktif.com that the boat was leaking and sinking slowly so the passengers had time to prepare themselves to use available safety devices.

 

These passengers were later evacuated by the Kakap ferry heading to Palembang, from where they would be transported to Mentok Bangka using Expres Bahari boat number 8.

Hopes fade for last whale stranded in Australia

The Jakarta Post, The Associated Press, Hobart | Sun, 01/25/2009 5:29 PM

Rescuers gave up hope Sunday of saving the last survivor of 45 sperm whales that became stranded on a remote Australian sandbar, as it lay hemmed in by the bodies of its family group.

"We are administering palliative care," said Chris Athur, a spokesman for the Parks and Wildlife Service in Tasmania state, as the animal's chances of survival dimmed.

The whales became stuck on a sandbar just off the island state's northwest coast on Thursday. Officials rushed to the site to help at least seven survivors by pouring water over the semi-submerged mammals to keep them cool as they tried to devise a plan to free them.

But survivor numbers have dwindled each day. Arthur said just one remained alive Sunday, but it was trapped behind several other dead ones.

The animals - the largest up to 60 feet (18 meters) long and weighing up to 22 U.S. tons (20 tons) each - were too heavy to lift free of the sandbar, Arthur said.

Ironically, the thick blubber that insulates the animals when they swim in deep Antarctic waters has posed one of the greatest dangers.

"The blubber, which is a real asset to them in the deep cold waters, just really makes them heat up quickly," Warwick Brennan, another wildlife services spokesman, told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.

Strandings happen periodically in Tasmania, where whales pass during their migration to and from Antarctic waters.

Scientists do not know why the creatures get stranded, but they suspect in this case that rough conditions in the narrow channel between the island and the mainland had churned up sediment in the water and confused the pod's sonar navigation.

Last November, 150 long-finned pilot whales died after beaching on a rocky coastline in Tasmania despite frantic efforts to save them. A week earlier, rescuers saved 11 pilot whales among a pod of 60 that had beached on the island state.

Sperm whales become stranded less often than other species because they spend most of their time in deep waters, away from the coastline. But scientists say ocean currents and feed stocks have brought them closer to shore.

Officials have said the carcasses would be left in place to rot or be eaten by scavengers.

2 Port Officials Suspended Over Roles In Tragic West Sulawesi Ferry Disaster

The Jakarta Globe, Putri Prameshwari, January 23, 2009

 

 A member of a search and rescue team looks out at a naval rescue ship in Pare Pare port, on Jan. 12. At least 200 people are still unaccounted from the MV Teratai Prima ferry disaster. (Photo: Yusuf Ahmad, Reuters)

The Ministry of Transportation has summoned two port officials as part of an ongoing investigation into the MV Teratai Prima ferry disaster, which is believed to have claimed more than 300 lives.

 

Sunaryo, the ministry’s director general of sea transportation, said that Nurwahidah, the port administrator from Pare-Pare in South Sulawesi Province, and Sudiyono, the port administrator from Samarinda in East Kalimantan Province, had been suspended from their positions until further notice and summoned to Jakarta as part of the ministry’s internal investigation.

 

The ferry sank off the coast of Majene in West Sulawesi Province after reportedly being hit by large waves in the early hours of Jan. 11. The ferry was carrying at least 250 passengers and 17 crew members when it set off from Pare-Pare for Samarinda in East Kalimantan Province.

 

At least 200 people are still unaccounted for, though the actual figure is believed to be much higher.

 

South Sulawesi Police have arrested the captain of the ill-fated ferry, Sabir, who is facing charges of criminal negligence and a maximum sentence of five years in jail if convicted. He is alleged to have ignored storm warnings from the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, or BMG. 

 

The National Transportation Safety Committee and National Search and Rescue Agency are conducting their own investigations, independent of the police and the Transportation Ministry’s probes.

 

Sunaryo said the sea transportation department would question Nurwahidah and Sudiyono to determine whether they should both be charged with negligence.

 

“We should look beyond natural causes for the accident,” Sunaryo said, adding that if proven guilty of neglecting professional rules, they would face administrative punishment, such as demotions.

 

A port administrator is responsible for issuing permits to allow ships to depart.

 

Nurwahidah denied accusations that he was responsible, saying that Sabir had submitted a list of the legal passengers and the details of the proposed sea voyage.

 

“The ferry sank eight hours after we gave them the permit, so the responsibility rests in the captain’s hands,” she said.

 

According to laws governing sea transportation, the captain of a ship is responsible for the information he or she submits to port authorities for a permit to sail. The captain would also be responsible for any illegal passengers who are not listed on the official documentation.

 

As an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, Indonesia relies heavily on sea transportation, with millions of people traveling daily by inter-island ferries, despite long-standing concerns that the aging vessels are frequently overpacked with passengers and cargo.

 

In late 2006, about 400 people died when the MV Senopati Nusantara ferry sank off the northern coast of Central Java Province.

Jakarta ‘most at risk’ of climate change

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 01/23/2009 9:33 AM

Of all cities in Southeast Asia, Jakarta is the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, a study reveals.

The Singapore-based Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA) ranked Central, North and West Jakarta at the top of a list of administrative regions prone to climate change, followed by Mondol Kiri province in Cambodia and East Jakarta.

The report, prepared by economists Arief Anshory Yusuf and Herminia A. Francisco, reveals Jakarta is vulnerable to all types of climate-change related disasters except for tropical storms.

“It is frequently exposed to regular flooding but most importantly, it is highly sensitive because it is among the most densely-populated regions in Southeast Asia,” said the report released Wednesday.

Arief is an environmental economist at Padjadjaran University in Bandung.

The EEPSEA assessed Jakarta’s history of exposure to five types of natural disaster —floods, landslides, drought, sea-level change and tropical storms — in the period from 1980 to 2000, along with those of 530 other areas in Southeast Asia.

The results were drawn up by considering each area’s exposure to disasters and its ability to adapt to such threats, and comparing those findings with the vulnerability assessment framework of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Other vulnerable areas in Indonesia include West Sumatra and South Sumatra, the study says.

The study also reveals that all regions in the Philippines, Vietnam’s Mekong River Delta, Cambodia, North and East Laos and Bangkok are vulnerable.

“The Philippines, unlike other countries in Southeast Asia, is not only exposed to tropical cyclones, but also many other climate-related hazards; especially floods, landslides and droughts,” it said.

In Malaysia, the most vulnerable areas are the states of Kelantan and Sabah.

Thailand and Malaysia are the most capable of adapting to the impacts of climate change, according to the report.

“Overall, the areas with relatively high adaptive capacities are in Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam whereas areas with relatively low adaptive capacities are mostly in Cambodia and Laos,” the EEPSEA said.

The EEPSEA was established in 1993 to support research and training in environmental and economics studies. It is supported by the International Development Research Center, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the Canadian International Development Agency.

A study by the State Ministry for the Environment revealed earlier that flooding, combined with a rise in the level of the sea could permanently inundate parts of Greater Jakarta, including Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

International activists have branded Indonesia the world’s third biggest polluter after the United States and China, mostly due to widespread forest fires.

Developing nations, including Indonesia, have repeatedly called on rich nations to provide financial assistance to enable them to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Ancol braces for flooding, deploys pumps

The Jakarta Post | Fri, 01/23/2009 9:51 PM

The management of Jakarta’s biggest amusement park, Ancol, is taking extra measures to minimize the effects of rising water levels, which are expected to bring on widespread flooding some time in early February.

PT Taman Impian Jaya Ancol general manager Harwanto told tempointeraktif.com the company had bought 62 water pumps with the capacity to transfer 490 cubic meters of water per minute each.

On Jan. 12 flooding at Ancol reached knee level. Haryanto said the company had learned from that experience, and wanted Ancol to be ready for potential further flooding. Earlier, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) forecast the rainfall rate would peak at the beginning of next month.

“The flood levels are expected to rise by 1.1 meters … That presents us with a monstrous task,” Haryanto said.

Besides grappling with flooding, he said, the higher water levels could also carry solid waste into the park grounds. (and)

Bali to finish construction of special tourist port in 2009

Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian tourist resort island of Bali expects to finish the construction of a special tourist port worth Rp92 billion in Tanah Ampo, Karangasem district, this year, Karangasem district head Wayan Geredeg said. 

Wayan Geredeg said that the construction of the port is in cooperation with three parties, namely the Karangasem regional administration, the provincial government of Bali and the central government. 

He said that the Karangasem district administration provided location for the port while the Bali provincial government and the central government provided funds worth Rp22 billion and Rp70 billion respectively. 

According to the district head, the physical construction of the port was now undergoing, but he said that its master plan was still in the stage of submission before a recommendation could be asked from the central government. 

"For this purpose, we still need a recommendation from the Bali governor," the district head said. 

He said that the special tourist port located in the eastern tip of Bali island would be very important for the development of Bali`s tourism. 

"A number of international cruise ship operators have contacted us, asking when the port would be operational," Gredeg said.

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Benoa all set to welcome cruise ships this year

Wasti Atmodjo, THE JAKARTA POST, DENPASAR | Thu, 01/22/2009 1:49 PM  

Now in the last stages of construction, the Benoa port upgrade, to support turn-around services for cruise ships that meet international standards, should be ready to berth ships soon, state-owned PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) III said. 

"If all parties *including local tourism businesses* are in agreement, we can begin receiving cruise ships into Benoa port this year," 

Pelindo III general manager Bambang Priyanto said after a meeting Monday with Bali's provincial legislative council (DPRD) and the city administration. 

Benoa port has been upgrading its infrastructure since late 2007 to expand its services beyond its longtime role as a cargo and refueling port. 

The government has reportedly been trying to outfit the port with hotels, landscaped gardens, trade centers and other upscale passenger-port facilities. 

The development plans behind Benoa's expansion, which included setting aside two hectares of land at the port, have not been fi nalized. But Pelindo III is apparently not waiting for these facilities to be fully operational before scheduling cruise ships to stay overnight. 

The port's current size - 3.6 kilometers in length and 150 meters in width - should allow ships under 200 meters long to stop over. Only two such cruise ships can berth at a time. 

"Even with this limited capability, we can still make sure the users will be satisfi ed," Bambang said. 

He said starting up the facility would enhance Bali's popularity as a tourist spot, citing the island's strategic location as a bridge between the continent of Asia and Australia. 

The distance between Benoa and Singapore is 1,488 kilometers, from Benoa to Darwin, 1,550. 

"Our position smack dab in the middle makes it one of the best stopoff choices for cruise ships passing through the region," Bambang said.

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Benoa ferry port receives award

Government Expected to Open Up Coastal Areas to Industries

The Jakarta Globe, Arti Ekawati, January 21, 2009

 

Implementing regulations for a 2007 law opening more coastal areas across Indonesia to maritime industries, like pearl farming and seaweed cultivation, are expected to be issued during the first half of the year, a senior maritime affairs and fisheries official said on Tuesday.

 

The government says the law would increase investment and improve economic prospects for development that would benefit coastal communities, but critics fear it would result in residents losing control of their lands.

 

Some 30 million people, most of them small-scale fishermen, live in traditional villages along the nation’s coast.

 

“Hopefully the regulations will be issued before April,” Sudirman Saad, the ministry’s director for coastal area and small island management, told reporters in Jakarta. He added that the measure would be fair to both fishermen and investors.

 

According to the ministry, the regulation would divide coastal areas into zones designated for industry, conservation and lands belonging to local communities. 

Once the regulations are issued, local administrations would put forward their own rules to ensure that coastal areas would not be dominated by the private sector, Sudirman said.

 

Local governments, however, have been criticized for not carefully managing resources and granting concessions to businesses.

 

The 2007 law governing coastal areas and small island management granted investors the right to develop maritime businesses in several coastal areas. Implementation, however, has been delayed for more than a year on concerns it could lead to conflict between business owners and coastal communities.

 

“Making zones in coastal areas is crazy, since it is possible that investors could occupy land belonging to the local community by saying that they already have permission from the local administration,” Riza Damanik, general secretary of the Fisheries Justice Coalition, or Kiara, said at a seminar discussing the law in Jakarta on Tuesday.

 

No one could guarantee that the zoning would be fair to coastal communities, he said.

 

“Based on my experience, local communities will not get enough compensation for the land,” he said.

 

Riza urged the government to strengthen the communities’ rights to manage the areas in which they lived. He also questioned why the government was giving investors rights to develop lands belonging to communities, rather than giving residents direct aid to improve their economies.

 

According to Riza, one clause in the law stated that residents whose rights were affected by the zoning could receive compensation. He said this meant the government was aware that implementation of the law would cause some breaches of locals’ rights, especially those of fishermen, and he urged the government to consider coastal communities and the environmental effects on areas exploited for industry.

Benoa ferry port receives award

The Jakarta Post, Wed, 01/21/2009 4:39 PM  |  Bali

 

DENPASAR: Benoa ferry port - the island's main fishing, cargo and ferry terminal - was honored with the Citra Award on Tuesday for its excellent services to passengers.

 

State Minister for Administrative Reform Taufik Efendi announced the port as the winner after his office had evaluated 26 ports in the country.

 

"This is the first time the award was bestowed and we have managed to be the best port. It is a proud moment for us and we certainly will perform better in the future," head of Benoa port authority Dewa Kumara Jaya said Tuesday. --JP

Indonesia wants binding Manado declaration to protect sea

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post | Tue, 01/20/2009 10:02 AM 

 

Indonesia hopes that any outcomes from an international ocean conference being held in North Sulawesi will be legally binding, so developed nations will be willing to finance moves being taken to mitigate climate change, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi said Monday.

The Minister hoped the World Ocean Conference (WOC), being held in Manado, North Sulawesi from May 11 to May 15, would lead to a Manado Ocean Declaration.

“We hope the United Nations will endorse the declaration and make it legally binding for all member countries,” Freddy told The Jakarta Post.

 

He said such an agreement would be important for Indonesia because rising sea levels, triggered by global warming, were threatening small islands with a poor capacity to deal with climate change.

“By protecting the oceans, we will be saving the livelihoods of so many people living in small-island states. For this reason, wealthy nations should contribute to the cause.”

 

Small-island states, like the Maldives, have repeatedly asked for assistance from the international community to protect their people from the growing threat of rising sea levels.

 

The minister said global warming could cause sea levels, temperatures and acidity to increase in Indonesia.

 

“We have already lost some small islands to rising sea levels,” Freddy said.

 

Indonesia is made up of more than 17,500 islands, almost 10,000 of which remain unnamed.

Gellywynn Jusuf, a climate expert working for the minister and a member of the WOC organizing committee, said the ocean conference was held to ensure world leaders understand the role oceans play in fighting climate change.

“Mitigation talks on climate change have focused on reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD). In the 2007 Bali climate conference, for example, only one session out of about 800 meetings was allocated to discussing the relations between climate change and the impact on oceans,” he said.

REDD was a concept adopted in the Bali climate conference as an alternative to cutting emissions. In return, developed nations investing in the logging industry in Indonesia pay incentives to reduce the emissions from deforestation.

Around 7,000 delegates, including government officials, ocean and climate change experts and activists from 120 countries, are expected to attend the WOC.

Experts predict oceans are capable of storing about 50 times the carbon dioxide emissions than currently exist in the atmosphere.

Indonesia, with 5.8 million hectares of oceans, could theoretically absorb up to 40 million tonnes of CO2 per year.

 

WOC 2009 Targets:

1. Increase cooperation between nations in order to manage marine resources in the context of climate change
   
2. Increase understating among the global community regarding the vital role of the ocean in regulating global climate
   
3. Increase global attention on the need to save small islands and coastal areas
   
4. Increase commitment from international bodies to protect and preserve fishery resources in order to ensure food security.
   
5. Increase preparedness to mitigate disasters caused by climate change.
   
6. Increase capacity at a community level, especially coastal and small communities, to adapt to the effects of the climate change.
   

 

Source: the WOC organizers.

Navy Impounds 32 Foreign Vessels in Papua Region

The Jakarta Globe, Markus Junianto Sihaloho, January 19, 2009

 

The Indonesian Navy has seized 32 foreign ships in Papuan waters since the beginning of the month for crimes ranging from illegal fishing to the transportation of illegally harvested timber.

 

“Thirty-two ships have been captured and detained during the month by patrols coordinated at the main naval base in Jayapura [the capital of Papua Province],” Navy spokesman First Adm. Iskandar Sitompul said.

 

Iskandar said that most were from Malaysia, the Philippines, China and Thailand. Most of the crew members were Indonesians, he said.

 

He said that investigations had already been launched into all the cases and hoped that prosecutions would be filed in the near future.

 

He said that the seized ships were being held at a number of naval bases, including Jayapura, and Sorong and Manokwari in West Papua.

 

Court cases relating to the seizure of 25 vessels last year were still ongoing, with the owners of 21 of the vessels filing appeals with the Supreme Court, Iskander said. “For example, the MV Golden Blessing is waiting for re-evaluation of its case by the Supreme Court.”

 

Another vessel, the Siong-siong Hai-05099, would be auctioned off if its owners and crew members were found guilty of breaking the law, Iskandar said.

 

The Navy’s deputy chief, Vice Adm. Moekhlas Siddik, earlier said that in 2008 the Navy successfully prosecuted the operators of 100 domestic and foreign vessels. During the year, Navy patrols inspected 1,869 ships, and of those, 521 were seized for alleged violations of Indonesian law, he said.

 

Indonesia is facing a host of unsolved maritime problems including rampant illegal fishing and the environmental damage from the dumping of toxic waste.

 

Based on a 2007 report from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in Indonesian waters costs the state $2 billion each year.

 

Iskandar said not all the crimes were related to illegal fishing or logging. Some were associated with illegal mining.

 

According to the ministry’s 2007 report, an estimated 1.8 billion cubic meters of granite and sand worth Rp 105 trillion ($9.45 billion), was illegally exported to Singapore between 1966 and 2005. Authorities in many parts of Riau Islands Province say that the trade has caused significant environmental damage in the region.

 

In 2003, the maritime ministry issued a ban on exporting sand mined from Indonesian waters. In 2007, the Ministry of Trade banned the export of sand mined on land.

 

A limited number of permits have been issued for the export of granite, but Iskandar said the Navy often found foreign-flagged vessels carrying granite without any such permits.

 

In 2007, the Navy seized 21 foreign vessels, loaded with illegally mined granite and sand from Indonesia, he said.

Cargo ship Alken Pasifik sinks near Madura

The Jakarta Post, Samarinda | Mon, 01/19/2009 8:35 PM

A cargo ship, the Alken Pasifik, sank in Masalembo waters off Madura island Sunday night after heavy waves struck the vessel on its way from Surabaya, East Java, to Samarinda, East Kalimantan.

Tempointeraktif.com reported Monday the ship was carrying more than 13 crew members, all of whom had been rescued by another ship, the KM Tinto, and brought to Surabaya.

Edy Pangemanan, head of the PT Alken branch office in Samarinda, confirmed the accident had occurred but could not provide any further information as yet.

"I received the information this morning but I don't know the details," he said Monday. (ewd)

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Dozens of fishing vessels remain tied at Kalimas Quay at Tanjung Perak Port, Surabaya, on Saturday. Local fishermen have not been able to fish since Thursday because of bad weather and strong waves. Almost all cargo and passenger ships have suspended activity for similar reasons. JP/Achmad Faisal