Navy has difficulties monitoring waste dumping

Antara News, Saturday, January 30, 2010 22:51 WIB

Batam (ANTARA News) - It is difficult to monitor foreign ships dumping waste in international waters that has eventually polluted the Batam coastline, navy chief of staff Vice Admiral Agus Suhartono said here on Saturday.

"Because the area is narrow it will be our waters that will suffer the pollution from wastes dumped by ships in the waters outside ours," he said.

He said the activity had so far been carried out in the waters outside our territory while our patrol boats only operated in the country`s territorial waters.

"We have the boats standing by in our territory," he said.

He said the naval patrol boats had never known the ships that had dumped wastes in the sea causing pollution on the coast and waters of Batam island.

"Our boats only find the waste but not the ships that have dumped it," he said.

He said the Indonesian navy was eager to seize the ships that have caused pollution in the country`s waters.

He said the navy would probably develop a radar system to monitor the movement of ships likely to dump wastes. "We will also stand by. We will implement it," he said.

Seven navy ships conduct patrol between Indonesia and Singapore waters and four others in the Malacca Strait every day.

He said the number is sufficient to patrol the narrow area.

Every north monsoon oil sludge flows in the Batam island waters. Tons of oil sludge polluted Tanjung Memban in January this year. When discovered the sludge had reached the coast and stucked to the sand so that it was difficult to remove. The waste has damaged the waters ecosystem of the coast of Batam island.

24,000 Ha prepared for Patin fish breeding

Antara News, Saturday, January 30, 2010 06:49 WIB

Jambi (ANTARA News) - Maurojambi regency which had been appointed one of the patin fish production centers, has prepared 24 thousand hectares for fish culture, patin fish in particular, Regent of Muarojambi H Burhanudin Mahir said in Sengeti, capital of Muarojambi, Jambi, on Thursday.

"This region has a very high potential vast land to help intensify this project, for which we have prepared 24,000 ha of fishery land," the regent said.

The plots of land are located in several subdistricts and regencies, like Kumpeh, Sekernan and Jaluko. The land will be run by the farmer groups in every subdistrict.

Not only land, the regency administration will also provide the Jambi patin fish with seedlings and other fish species for breeding by the farmers free of charge.

$1.53m Reef-Monitoring Yacht a Waste of Govt Money, Activists Say

Jakarta Globe, Fidelis E Satriastanti, January 28, 2010

Activists on Thursday blasted the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry for wasting money on a luxurious French sailing ship to monitor the condition of coral reefs in the country.

The Rp 14.3 billion ($1.53 million), 15.5-meter catamaran was purchased from a Bordeaux-based company using funds designated for use elsewhere in the state budget, they said.

“The ship was bought using money allocated by the House of Representatives under the 2008-2009 state budget to repair six patrol boats belonging to the ministry, not to buy cruise ships,” said Riza Damanik, the coordinator for the Fisheries Justice Coalition (Kiara).

Riza said the monitoring of coral reefs could be performed with much cheaper craft.

“In North Sulawesi, in Bunaken [national marine park], they use traditional boats costing 20 million to 30 million rupiah and they are very effective because they are small boats and move very slowly so they won’t destroy the coral reefs,” Riza said.

“This ship is obviously unnecessary because it’s too big and moves very fast and it looks more like a cruise ship than a ship for monitoring coral reefs.”

Furthermore, Riza suggested a case for corruption because state funds had been spent on the boat even though the purchase had not been budgeted.

However, Aji Soelarso, director general for monitoring and surveillance of marine and fisheries resources, argued that the money for the boat had been allocated in the 2008-09 state budget.

“Bearing in mind that Indonesia is a member of the Coral Triangle Initiative, we needed to buy the ship to monitor the condition of our coral reefs. We must set the lead and be an example to other countries, showing we are serious in maintaining our coral reefs,” Aji said. He was referring to the preservation program launched by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2007 that now also encompassing Malaysia, Phillipines, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Aji said the ship would also act as a prototype for the country to produce its own reef-monitoring fleet.

“If this ship is being compared to the pinisi [a traditional wooden sailing ship], then you could say that it’s expensive, but it’s lot cheaper than a cruise ship,” Aji said.

He added that the vessel was very fuel efficient and could operate much longer than a standard craft. “The biggest cost associated with monitoring is usually fuel. If we used a regular speed boat, it might cost Rp 40 million to Rp 50 million per day for patrols, while this ship does not depend on fuel but rather wind, so it only costs Rp 1 million per day, including the crew’s accommodation.”

Aji also pointed out that maintenance costs would be minimal as the crew would handle most of the work at its home port, thus a special facility would not be required. The ship will be based in Manado, home to the secretariat office of the Coral Triangle Initiative.

TGS begins offshore Indonesia 2D survey

Offshore, Jan 28, 2010, Offshore staff

PERTH, Australia -- A 2D seismic acquisition program is under way by TGS offshore West Papua, Indonesia. The program adds 2,240 km (1,392 mi) of new 2D data to help evaluate the petroleum potential south of the Salawati basin, which holds an estimated total cumulative oil production of more than 300 MMbbl, TGS says.

Upon the completion of the program, anticipated in May, TGS’s Indonesia library will include 100,000 km (62,137 mi) of 2D seismic; 400,000 km (248,548 mi) of multi-beam bathymetric data; and 1,200 core samples covering over 1 million sq km (386,102 sq mi) of Indonesia's deepwater basins.

News focus: Sail Banda 2010 supported by many parties

Antara News, Otniel Tamindael, Wednesday, January 27, 2010 16:06 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The upcoming international marine event "Sail Banda 2010" in Maluku, scheduled from July to August, has gained support from various parties.

Support to make the event a success came among others from Maluku-born people in the Netherlands, Bank Indonesia, as well as air and sea transportation agencies.

In the Netherlands, Maluku-born people are ready to support the Sail Banda 2010 by intensively promoting it in European countries, a Maluku tourism official said.

"At least 350 Moluccans in the Netherlands have expressed their readiness to intensively promote the coming event in Holland and other European countries," head of Maluku`s Culture and Tourism Office, Florence Sahusilawane, said in Ambon on Wednesday.

Florence said the expatriate Maluku people had expressed their readiness to her when she attended the Dutch tourism event, "Vakantiebeurs" in Utrecht, the Netherlands, last January 12-17, 2010.

"The most important thing in their support to Sail Banda 2010 is that they will also come to Maluku along with their relatives, Dutch friends, and other colleagues from Europe for the event scheduled for July to August 2010," she said.

Florence added that she highly appreciated the seriousness of Moluccans in the Netherlands to help make Sail Banda 2010 a success because it would be a strategic event to assure the international community that peace and calm have returned to Maluku after the province was engulfed by a communal conflict from 1999 to 2002.

"We actually want the Netherlands to be the gateway for netting West European tourists who increasingly visit Maluku every year," Florence said.

She was also optimistic about the promotion of Sail Banda in Europe because the Maluku Museum director in the Netherlands, Dr Huib Akihary, had expressed readiness to help promote the event in European countries.

"Therefore, leaflets on Sail Banda in Dutch and English will be spread large and wide in the Netherlands and other European countries," Florence said.

She said the Maluku Culture and Tourism office had been intensively promoting Sail Banda 2010 through brochures, leaflets, both print and electronic media, including its website www.sailbanda.com .

"We have also made use of various events such as the observance of World Peace Day on November 25, 2009 and the election of tourism ambassadors on December 1-6, 2009 to promote Sail Banda 2010," she said.

Besides Maluku-born community in the Netherlands, Bank Indonesia (the central bank) of Ambon branch is to open money changer counters and ATM booths in Banda to support the international marine event.

"Bank Indonesia and a number of banks such as Bank BRI, Bank Central Asia (BCA), and Bank BNI will also provide services for financial transactions in Banda to support the event," Ambon branch Bank Indonesia spokesman Totok Hermianto said in the eastern Indonesian city of Ambon on Monday.

Totok admitted that he had discussed the event with the leaders of the banks operating in Ambon and they agreed to open banking service counters in Banda.

"Foreign tourists visiting Banda, as well as the participants of Sail Banda 2010 will find it easy to make financial transactions following the opening of banking service counters in Banda during the international marine event," Totok said.

He expressed hope that the promotion of Sail Banda 2010 would be intensified in order to have a good impact on the improvement of Maluku economic development in the future.

"All public elements should support the event together by making an all out promotion so that it can have a positive impact on regional economic development and the local people`s income," Totok said.

Meanwhile, Transportation Department`s Air Transportation director general Herry Bakti has said his office was ready to support the sailing festival, named Sail Banda 2010, because according to him, inter-department coordination was necessary to support the success of the international event.

"In principle, the Transportation Directorate General is ready to support the event," he has said in Bandaneira, Banda, Maluku.

The most important thing is to prepare reliable telephone and internet infrastructure. This can facilitate communication and telecommunication access so that people would not all gather in Ambon if they want to promote Banda," he said.

Sail Banda, he said, needs to be supported by a maritime armada with the capacity and speed that can sail across 159 miles from Ambon to Bandaneira in at least three to four hours.

Herry was of the view that Banda has under-sea tourism asset as well as a history and culture with particular characteristics. If managed professionally, Banda can attract many tourists.

The national shipping company PT Pelni is also ready to help make the Sail Banda 2010 event a success by putting more ships into service on its route to the Banda Islands in Central Maluku, a spokesman said.

Bachtiar, head of PT Pelni`s Ambon branch office, said in Ambon that the national shipping company felt it bore the moral responsibility to support the international maritime event in Banda.

"We at PT Pelni are ready to help make the event a success," Bachtiar said.

He said the company was currently operating MV Ciremai and MV Kelimutu on its route to Banda in Central Maluku, Tual in Southeast Maluku, and a number of ports in West Papua and Papua.

Asked if the number of ships for Banda would be increased in the runup to Sail Banda 2010, Bachtiar said it was the responsibility of PT Pelni`s head office to decide.

"But because Sail Banda 2010 is an international event, I think there will be a good coordination between the transportation ministry and PT Pelni to increase the number of ships sailing to Banda," Bachtiar said.

Related Articles:

Ambon to launch website on Sail Banda

Sail Banda 2010 (official Website)

Most "Sail Banda" activities to take place in Ambon

Maluku`s historical sites being restored for Sail Banda 2010

More articles related to Maluku ....

185 islets in W Sumatra given names

Antara News, Wednesday, January 27, 2010 04:44 WIB

Padang (ANTARA News) - West Sumatra Governor Marlis Rahman said 185 islets in the waters of the province had been given names as identity of ownership of the Indonesian people.

Most of the islets are unoccupied, he said in Padang Tuesday.

The small islands are located in the waters of seven regencies/cities, namely the cities of Padang and Pariaman, Pesisir Selatan, Padang Pariaman, Agam, Pasaman Barat and Mentawai Islands.

The names given to the islets are based on local terms, dialects and culture, he said.

Security and control are also carried out by empowering the fishermen operating near the small islands, he added.

He said the security and control are maintained by public supervisory groups.

Periodic control and supervision is also carried out by provincial, regency/city administration personnel and routine supervision by navy personnel.

16-year-old girl starts solo sail around globe

The Washington Post, (AP), Sunday, January 24, 2010; 6:46 AM

Abby Sunderland, 16, looks out from her sailboat, Wild Eyes, as she leaves for her world record attempting journey at the Del Rey Yacht Club, Saturday, Jan 23, 2010, in Marina del Rey, Calif. Sunderland is attempting to be the youngest person to complete a nonstop, unassisted solo-circumnavigation of the globe by sea. (AP Photo/Richard Hartog) (Richard Hartog - AP)

MARINA DEL REY, Calif. -- A 16-year-old has set out to become the youngest person to sail around the world alone.

Abby Sunderland of Thousand Oaks sailed into the sunny Pacific Ocean on Saturday after being delayed a few days by a series of violent storms in California.

Her boat-builder father, Laurence, along with other family members and friends, cheered at the Del Rey Yacht Club as they watched the 40-foot craft called Wild Eyes depart.

She plans to be at sea for five or six months. She will be alone but able to communicate via satellite telephone and a blog (at abbysunderland.com).

The current record holder is 17-year-old Mike Perham of Britain, who took the mark last year from Abby's then-17-year-old brother Zac.

Information from: Daily Breeze,http://www.dailybreeze.com

Related Articles:

Jessica Watson pounded by 70knots, Abby Sunderland sets off

16-year-old Jess Watson has now rounded Cape Horn (AAP: Dean Lewins)

Teen sailor runaway to remain with father

Dutch girl missing after thwarted global sail trip

Laura Dekker (Photo: ANP)

RI wants UN to raise ocean issues at talks

Adianto P. Simamora , THE JAKARTA POST, JAKARTA | Sat, 01/23/2010 12:48 PM

Indonesia will once again raise ocean issues at the upcoming UN conference in Bali, to press for world recognition of the role of oceans in climate change.

The Indonesian Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry said the country's delegation would push the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to include oceans in its program of work to help protect the oceans from the impacts of rising temperatures.

"We hope UNEP will adopt the ocean as its main mandate in its program of work," senior official Hendra Yusran Siry told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

He added that once UNEP had done so, it would be easier to promote ocean issues at upcoming climate talks.

More than 120 environmental ministers are scheduled to meet at the Global Ministerial Environment Forum in Bali, organized by UNEP.

The meeting will discuss, among others, green economies, biodiversity and ecosystems. The UNEP has named 2010 its Biodiversity Year.

A draft decision on oceans, proposed by Indonesia, calls on UNEP to mainstream marine and coastal strategy into its program of work to improve the protection of maritime ecosystems.

The draft also requests UNEP and other UN agencies to support the implementation of the Manado Ocean Declaration in addressing the current state of the world's oceans.

It also asks UNEP to support the capacity of developing countries in terms of technology to sustainably manage marine and coastal ecosystems.

The draft also calls on other countries to achieve long-term marine conservation and reduce marine and coastal pollution.

Hendra said Indonesia would also call on governments and international organizations to exchange information on climate change impacts to the marine ecosystem.

Last month's Copenhagen climate summit failed to include the ocean issues at the Copenhagen accord.

The World Ocean Conference (WOC) hosted by Indonesia in Manado, North Sulawesi, last year adopted the Manado Ocean Declaration (MOD), which called for prioritizing ocean issues in negotiations at the Copenhagen talks.

The MOD calls for adaptation funds and technology transfers to help ocean countries - including Indonesia - deal with climate change.

A UNEP study unveiled at the Copenhagen conference said ocean acidification levels could increase by 100 times by 2050, which would lead to massive coral bleaching, destroying thousands of reefs that act as key feeding grounds for most of the world's fish species.

The study added that by 2100, about 70 percent of cold-water corals would be exposed to corrosive waters.

It also pointed out seas and oceans absorbed a quarter of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and other human activities.

As more CO2 is pumped into the atmosphere, the oceans have absorbed greater amounts at increasingly rapid rates, it said.

This increased absorption of atmospheric CO2 has resulted in changes to the chemical balance of oceans, causing them to become more acidic.

State Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta said it had been difficult to include the issue of oceans in climate talks, mainly because of the dearth of studies on the subject.

Indonesian Kids Ride NZ Waves in Style

Jakarta Globe, January 22, 2010

Putu Anggara riding a wave. Putu finished second in the first U-18 heat, one of three Indonesians to advance. (Photo courtesy of ISC Tour/Tim Hain)

Indonesian kids proved that they could really ride the wave.

The first day of the ISA Quiksilver World Junior Surfing Championships in Piha, New Zealand, ended on Wednesday and three of the eight Indonesians advanced directly into Round 3, while the remaining five will surf in Round 2 on Friday in hopes of joining their teammates.

Jeren Kiring and Ediana Putra both put on impressive displays to nab second-place finishes in the Under-16 division, while Putu Anggara also finished second in the Under-18 division.

“It was really hard out there because the waves were all over the place,” Putu Anggara said in an ISA release after his heat. “I was lucky to get a nice right-hander that walled up so I could do a couple of turns.”

“I had no idea about my score because the wind was so strong I could only hear the final horn,” he added.

Jeren had a similar opinion about the day’s surfing.

“I was so happy when I heard I got second, because I didn’t hear anything out in the water. I was pretty busy out there,” he said.

Against a field of the top junior surfers in the world, and entering such a huge international competition for the first time, the Indonesian boys were doing a good job. Especially considering that they also had to battle against initial hurdles of money, visas and logistics just to get to New Zealand.

But several sponsors stepped in to allow the Indonesian team to compete in their first World Junior Championship.

Coach Tipi Jabrik was very pleased with the results.

“Considering that Indonesia has the lowest seeding, since this is our first time competing in this event, we did really good to get three of our boys into second-place finishes,” Tipi said.

The third round is on Saturday, while the finals are on Sunday.

Related Article:

Indonesia's Best Junior Surfers to Join World Junior Surfing Championships in New Zealand

Beyond the Coral Triangle Summit

The Jakarta Post, James P. Leape and Arthur C. Yap, Switzerland/Manila | Thu, 01/21/2010 9:34 AM | Opinion

This week’s Coral Triangle Business Summit see leaders from seafood, marketing, tourism, and travel industries engaging with representatives of the finance sector and government policy makers to forge new partnerships in the planet’s most important marine environment.

The summit comes at a time when there has never been more at stake for coastal communities and environments in the Coral Triangle – a region covering the marine areas of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste. It focuses on sustainable growth and bring together business leaders and policy makers from across the region.

The Coral Triangle contains 75 percent of the world’s known coral species, one third of the world’s coral reef area and more than 3,000 species of fish, and its abundant marine life supports the livelihoods of more than 150 million people.

But the Coral Triangle is under threat. Under the current climate change path, and with the current rate of over-exploitation of marine resources, there will be 50 percent less protein available from the sea by 2050, and 80 percent less by the end of the century.

This represents a major food security threat for coastal communities in the Coral Triangle, to say nothing of the economic fallout on the millions of businesses that once relied on healthy marine environments across the region.

This looming threat to the region’s ongoing food security and economic prosperity inspired a historic demonstration of political will by leaders of all six Coral Triangle nations at the World Ocean Conference in Manado in May last year.

They stood together and committed to a plan of action to save the region’s marine environments by increasing protection for its natural wonders and reducing pressures on its marine environments.

The resulting Manado Ocean Declaration stressed the need for national strategies for sustainable management of coastal and marine ecosystems, in particular those with significant potential for addressing the adverse effects of climate change such as mangroves, coral reefs and other natural features that buffer communities from extreme weather events. As impressive and unprecedented as this declaration was, it can only bear fruit if it is matched with a similar level of commitment from the private sector.

Seafood businesses and fishing operators, tourism companies, airlines, oil and gas companies all exploit the Coral Triangle’s abundant marine resources for their businesses. With rapidly expanding populations, economic growth and the pressures of international trade, these businesses are competing more and more for fewer resources.

Cooperation for the sake of sustainable growth therefore makes more business sense now than ever before.

There are growing legislative, social and market pressures on the corporate world to take greater responsibility for environmental performances, at all stages of the supply chain from the sourcing of raw product to final retail.

Responses to these growing pressures have seen the rapid adoption of global environmental standards and management practices, including in the Asia Pacific region.

Many of the world’s biggest corporations are based in the countries with the most stringent requirements, and businesses in Asia and the Pacific will be increasingly obliged to comply with the demands of these multi-national corporations. Recently US seafood company Anova Food and global seafood supplier Culimer BV have expressed their plans to source tuna caught with circle hooks, which reduce the unwanted bycatch of sea turtles by up to 90 percent.

In 2006, the world’s largest retailer, Walmart, pledged that within three to five years it would source all fresh and frozen wild caught seafood from MSC-certified fisheries. Walmart has 1.6 million employees, over 6,000 stores and roughly 60,000 suppliers worldwide. As one of the largest sellers of seafood in the US, and by accessing 57 percent of seafood imports originating from Asia, Walmart has a significant influence over its suppliers globally.

Certification programs are also valuable business assets in tourism sector, where such programs reward operations that exhibit best practices and help differentiate them from those that are less environmentally sound. They also provide consumers with a way to identify tourism businesses they wish to support.

By taking early action to source only responsibly managed resources, and effectively marketing these endeavors, companies can achieve a business advantage in increasingly sophisticated and environmentally aware global and domestic markets.

Without measures to implement best practice environmental management, businesses risk losing market share, access to capital, and the goodwill needed to operate profitably.

Businesses that grow at the expense of the environment are becoming a thing of the past. The Coral Triangle Initiative ushers in a new approach to conservation in the region where the private sector has a vital role in being part of the solution.

How the business world decides to act now will determine whether we can lay the pathway to a safer future in which the Coral Triangle can continue to support millions of people living on the coast and remain the world’s most important marine environment.

James P. Leape is WWF director general and Arthur C. Yap is Philippine Agriculture Secretary.

Protecting the Coral Triangle a top priority

BusinessWorld

PROTECTING the biodiver-sity-rich Coral Triangle needs the combined efforts of the government and private sector, and should be a top priority if the region wants to sustain the area’s vast fishery resource, experts yesterday said.

Fishermen hold a protest outside the three-day Coral Triangle summit. -- AFP

The First Coral Triangle Business Summit kicked off at the Makati Shangri-La with speakers highlighting the need to protect the area, which is home to over a third of all the world’s coral reefs.

"We want to add our organized businessmen’s voices to the growing clamor for nations, particularly the developed countries, to take more responsibility for the damage they have wrought on our environment all these past years," President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said in her opening remarks.

Mrs. Arroyo said governments want to show that environmental protection, economic growth and poverty reduction "can coexist side-by-side and mutually prosper by exploring business initiatives that support both."

The so-called Coral Triangle harbors about 600 species of reef-building coral, or 75% of all known coral species, and over 3,000 species of reef fish. It holds nearly 75% of the world’s mangrove species. The 2.3-million square mile area covers the Philippines, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Sabah in Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

The Coral Triangle, which provides $1.6 billion of economic benefits per year to the Philippines, is threatened by overfishing, environmental degradation, and climate change, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

To encourage participation from the private sector, the government should come out with the basis or framework for "eco-friendly" investments, a businessman said.

"We all recognize that government should create a framework for sustainable and green investments," former Energy secretary Vincent S. Perez, chief executive of renewable power producer Alternergy Partners and president of energy advisory firm Merritt Partners, said in a speech.

For instance, the Renewable Energy Bill will encourage more companies like resorts and hotels operating on the shores of the Coral Triangle to source power from renewable energy, he said.

Furthermore, governments should "document and disseminate success stories for replication within the Coral Triangle," Mr. Perez added.

Lida Pet-Soede, head of the WWF’s Coral Triangle program, earlier reported that the ecosystem in the Coral Triangle -- and the fishing industry that depends on it -- would collapse if governments and firms continue in a business as usual manner.

But the private sector has complained that lack of funds prevents the upgrade of equipment and efforts to achieve an environmentally sustainable business.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap said official donors could fill the gap. "What I am really looking forward to is to get a response from funding agencies especially on how we can partner for support on best practices," Mr. Yap said in a press briefing.

Blane Olson, managing director of tuna producer Clearsmoke Technologies, said in the briefing that companies could partner with agencies like the WWF and the German Technical Cooperation, like what firms in Indonesia did.

"It is important for the commercial sector to engage non-government organizations in their projects because of their specialties in both sides, and also funding," Mr. Olson said.

An estimated 363 million people live within the Coral Triangle with 120 million people living along coastal communities, data from the WWF showed.

In 2008, member countries of the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) adopted the Regional Action Plan involving "high-level leadership and policy reforms, sustainable management of marine resources, and regional and multi-stakeholder partnerships."

An expected outcome of the event is the "showcase of some early good practices that have been working on sustainability for the past two to three years," Mr. Olson said.

The officials will sign today an agreement implementing the use of circle hooks to avoid catching sea turtles during long-line tuna fishing operations. -- NJCM

Save tourism in Thousand Islands: Workshop

Indah Setiawati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 01/19/2010 7:50 PM

Sepa Island (one of the Thousand Islands)

Resort operators on Thousand Islands have complained of a sharp decline in the number guests, which they say is a result of poor accessibility and marketing.

Jhonny Lapian of PT Buana Bintang Samudra, the management of Putri Island resort, told a workshop Tuesday business was lackluster following the tsunami disaster that ravaged Aceh in December 2004.

“After the tsunami, our revenue declined. Now we no longer profit from the business. The major problem is transportation,” he said.

He added the resort only provided a speedboat during weekends. Transporting guests by speedboat on weekdays, which are usually quiet, costs the company too much, he said. The boat needs at least 30 passengers to cover transport costs.

Haznil Maulana of PT Pantara Wisata Jaya, the management of Pantara Island resort, said the company now operated East Pantara Island only and ceased the operation of West Pantara Island.

“We stopped operating West Pantara Island because we cannot afford the operational costs,” he said.

Sahat sitorus, the Tourism subagency head of Thousand Islands, said there were 11 resorts operating in the archipelagic regency but six of them closed when the Asian financial crisis struck in the late 1990s.

He acknowledged that transport had hindered the development of marine tourism in the regency, consisting of resorts and residential islands.

“Tourists need convenient, fast boats. The wooden boats currently available in Muara Angke are not convenient, fast or safe,” he said.

Data from the Thousand Islands tourism subagency recorded 141,000 tourists last year, 3,316 were foreigners from Europe and Asia. The number stood at 130,000 in 2008.

What are you doing here? Amazing underwater photos show beluga whales meeting divers at Arctic rehabilitation farm

MailOnline, Lizzie Smith, 18th January 2010

It's like no fish this beluga whale has ever seen before.

Deep in the Arctic ocean, daylight obscured by layers of ice and snow, the majestic animal has just come face to face with a scuba diver.

In the midst of the freezing waters of northern Russia's White Sea, the belugas seem fascinated by the humans - and vice-versa.

The encounter is taking place at a special whale sanctuary designed and built by marine biologists from St Petersburg University.

Up close: A beluga whale, Delphinapterus leucas, eyes a diver a few feet
 away as it swims under ice at the Arctic circle Dive Center in the White Sea, Karelia,
northern Russia

The 'natural farm' acts as a nursery for breeding whales, as well as acting as a rehabilitation centre for former performing animals before they are set into the wild.

The natural bay under the ice means that the whales are protected from the strong currents of the wider ocean and left to breed in peace, while also leaving them free to roam as they wish.

These wild whales are not endangered, but are considered to be threatened by pollution and loss of habitat.

Occasionally, guests at the local Arctic Circle Dive Centre can swim with the friendly giants, and get close enough to touch.

Arctic diver and photographer, Franco Banfi, 58, who captured these shots said: 'When a whale comes up to us and swims by, it looks you right in the eyes. Obviously we don't know what they think, but they are very curious creatures.

Close encounter: A scuba diver braves temperatures of -10C to
approach the whale

'Sometimes, I'm sure they're trying to figure out what we are and where we came from.

'As photographer, I've always been driven to bring photographs of animals one hardly ever sees to a printed page.'

But while the beluga, or white whale, is built for these harsh surroundings, the diving team face extremely tough conditions to get close to the gentle creatures.

Before each dive the team have to create holes in the three-foot-deep ice using a hand saw, just to get through to the sea below.

Once they're in they have to swim around in heavy layers of clothes to keep alive in the -10C waters.

Open wide: The whale tries to eat the camera, unsure of what it is

And it's definitely a case of choosing the short straw for one volunteer who gets to stay above ground in -30C winds, making sure the ice hole doesn't freeze over and trap the group.

'Photographing a story in very cold water can turn into a logistical nightmare,' admits Franco.

'But, if we are well trained, the underwater part of things is not really as harsh as you might think.'

'When we come out on land, temperatures can get down to -10C or -20C and things will instantly freeze, so we can barely move.

'Cold itself will not hurt the equipment, but it may slow down some of its functions as well as our own.

Safe: The animals in the natural farm are a mix of wild
 animals and former performing animals, who are allowed
 to rehabilitate in the safe environment before being
 released into the ocean

'Because of the ice-layer and snow cover, there is not sufficient light to shoot with ambient light and batteries lose their charge more quickly in cold weather.'

Franco added that he was keen to show the beauty of the undersea world to those who can't face the icy deep themselves.

'As photographer, I've always been driven to bring photographs of animals one hardly ever sees to a printed page,' he said.

'I want to see these amazing animals in a way that only a few people have seen and I want to share it with others.'