Titanic shipyard to go into administration

Yahoo – AFP, August 5, 2019

Harland and Wolff shipyard once employed more than 30,000 people but that
number now stands at 130 (AFP Photo/PAUL FAITH)

Belfast (AFP) - The iconic Belfast shipyard Harland and Wolff, which built the Titanic, is going into administration on Monday.

"There has been a series of board meetings the result of which is that administrators will be appointed over the course of the day," said a spokesman for the shipbuilder.

Democratic Unionist Party lawmaker Gavin Robinson earlier told BBC Radio Ulster that a short-term solution "seems increasingly unlikely" and that "we've pulled all the political levers that we can."

The shipyard is due to formally cease trading at 5.15 pm (1615 GMT) on Monday.

Dolphin Drilling, the Norwegian parent of Harland and Wolff, is struggling to find a buyer for the giant of Northern Ireland's industrial past, whose huge yellow cranes have towered over the Belfast skyline for decades.

The shipbuilder employed more than 30,000 people in the early 20th century, but now has only 130 workers.

Many of them have protested at the site since last week in a bid to save the yard, calling for the government to intervene amid rumours of last-minute buyouts.

"It's a waiting game today, we are waiting to hear news," said Barry Reid, shop steward with the GMB union.

As well as building the doomed Titanic, which sank in 1912, Harland and Wolff supplied almost 150 warships during World War II.

It has since moved away from shipbuilding and was until recently working mostly on wind energy and marine engineering projects.

Celebrate Amsterdam’s maritime past at SAIL 2015

DutchNews, August 14, 2015

The arrival of the tall ships. Photo: Wim Haze

SAIL is one of the city’s biggest and most unique festivals but it only happens once every five years. Brandon Hartley checks out what is on offer for the 2015 edition. 

Amsterdam and boats have gone hand in hand since it consisted of little more than a few cottages and a bridge over the Amstel. Needless to say, the city has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the Middle Ages. During the Dutch Golden Age, Amsterdam’s ports helped it become one of the wealthiest places on the planet. 

Flash forward to the early ‘70s when Amsterdam officials were looking for a way to celebrate the city’s 700th anniversary. What they came up with was SAIL Amsterdam, a nautical event in the summer of 1975 devoted to the history of the city’s maritime industry and its culture. 

The five-day extravaganza featured ‘tall ships’ from all across Europe, around 500 modern vessels and over 700,000 visitors. By all accounts, it was a huge success; so much so that the organisers decided to host the event again in 1980 

Sailing Into the Present Day 

Now in its ninth edition, SAIL Amsterdam is held every five years and it’s grown into the largest free maritime event in the world. It’s now a tradition for thousands of spectators line the banks of the river IJ to watch the ships arrive on the first day of the festival. 

The 2015 celebration will take place from Wednesday 19 until Sunday 23 August. The fun will begin with the Sail-In Parade, which organisers promise will be the biggest opening event in SAIL Amsterdam’s history. Over 43 tall ships along with five Dutch Marine boats and hundreds more vessels are scheduled to sail in file down the North Sea Canal into central Amsterdam.

If you can’t make it to the shores of the IJ to watch the fleet arrive, you can always tune in from home. The Sail-In Parade will be broadcast live on national television on the 19th. The ships will set sail for Amsterdam at 10:00 and are due to arrive in the city around 15:00. 

While the parade itself is a spectacle, what traditionally happens afterwards can be, well, a little less so. Getting all of those boats into the correct spots along the IJ’s quays tends to make the average rush hour traffic jam in Los Angeles look downright orderly by comparison. 

Tall ships

SAIL Amsterdam will feature countless boats and numerous events but, as with prior editions, the main draw will likely be the tall ships travelling to the city from ports all across the world. These gorgeous vessels and their photogenic masts harken back to the classic era of seafaring. 

The STS Young Endeavour is just one of the dozens that will appear at the 2015 festival. This tall ship hails from Australia and is currently in the middle of a year-long voyage around the world. A replica of the legendary Nao Victoria will also appear. The original ship was one of the first vessels to circumnavigate the globe back in the 16th century. 

The Biggest SAIL of All Time 

‘1.7 million people visited SAIL Amsterdam 2010,’ SAIL spokesperson Jan Driessen told DutchNews. ‘This year we expect even more visitors because we have an extra (fifth) day.’ 

In addition to giving the schedule a boost, Driessen and his colleagues have done their best to make this year’s event the biggest and best SAIL Amsterdam thus far. The festival’s grounds have been expanded to cover a wider portion of the city. It’s been divided into five areas dubbed ‘Oceans,’ each with its own unique theme and colour. 

Those eager to have a look at the tall ships can head to ‘Orange Ocean’, the spot where they’ll be moored along the IJ. The ships will be joined by a full programme of live music at the nearby SAIL Music Marina and a nightly fireworks display.

In search of calmer seas? Then aim for the ‘Red Ocean’, which will feature educational exhibitions and lectures at various locations across the city centre. 

SAIL at night. Photo: Wim Haze

Over at the NDSM Wharf visitors can enjoy exhibits that focus on technology, sustainable shipbuilding and innovation in the ‘Green Ocean’. The centrepiece of this area is sure to be the Volvo Ocean Race Team’s Brunel yacht. Crew members will be on hand to tell attendees about their experiences during their races on the high seas and what everyday life is like on board the ship.

‘White Ocean’, located near the EYE Film Museum, will serve as the home of the Northwave Festival. It offers a relaxing departure from the hustle and bustle of central Amsterdam with food and live music. Finally, ‘Blue Ocean’, over by the National Maritime Museum, will host a series of corporate events and a private ‘Captain’s Dinner’ with the commanders of the event’s tall ships. 

The full programme for SAIL Amsterdam 2015 can be found online.

Couple Find 19th Century Shipwreck

Jakarta Globe, Feng Zengkun -Straits Times Indonesia, May 01, 2011

The Viscount Melbourne, a British cargo ship, was stranded on a coral reef
after being hit by a squall. The wreck was recently discovered by Australian
part-time marine archaeologists Hans and Roz Berekoven. (The Berekovens Photo)

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Singapore. A ship that sank more than 150 years ago in Borneo waters after visiting Singapore has been found by two Australians.

Part-time marine archaeologists Hans and Roz Berekoven - who are married to each other - said their find was unlikely to yield any treasures as the ship had been a British cargo vessel, but it could add to knowledge of trade then.

'No gold,' Mr Berekoven, 64, said in an interview in Singapore. 'Just cutlery and a few bottles of really well-aged wine.'

In 1842, the Viscount Melbourne sailed from India en route to China and docked in Singapore to pick up supplies and passengers. It left with more than 70 people on board.

Three days after it left Singapore, the vessel was hit by a squall. It was left stranded on a coral reef.

The ship had to be abandoned as the cotton bales it carried would expand when wet.

One survivor wrote in his diary that the bales would 'swell and inevitably blow up the ship'.

The crew and passengers, evacuated in boats, spent weeks at sea before reaching nearby Borneo. Their journey was fraught with dangers such as bad weather and encounters with pirates.

Britain even sent a second ship, the Royalist, to look for the survivors. The Viscount Melbourne was left on the reef since it carried nothing of value. It eventually sank.

Newspapers in the region reported on its loss at the time but interest faded and the wreck was abandoned to its fate.

Then in 1950, The Straits Times published a series of articles on the survivors' struggle to reach Borneo. The series, titled 'A perilous sea voyage', gave the Berekovens the key to finding the wreck.

The couple had seen vague references to the wreck and its survivors while researching another project (see sidebar).

An Internet search led to excerpts of The Straits Times articles, which in turn led them to the National Library in Singapore, where the full articles were kept.

'We spent five days in the archives working out the route the survivors took,' Mr Berekoven said. 'The diarist kept an incredibly detailed log.'

Tracing the route backwards, they were able to find the wreck within 25 minutes of dropping anchor. 'There was no cotton left of course,' Mrs Berekoven, 53, said. 'When we saw that the hull had burst outwards, we knew what had happened.'

That was in April last year. Since then, the Berekovens have revisited the wreck several more times, each time bringing up small artifacts such as spoons and bottles of preserved fruit.

The bad weather that had befallen the ship remains to this day, preventing more frequent visits, the couple said.

The depth of the wreck at 40m underwater and the limitations of their equipment mean they can spend only nine minutes at a time on the ship before they have to resurface.

'We're saving up for better equipment like scuba gear,' Mr Berekoven said.

Their salvage project is partially funded by Chinese Malaysian businessman Troy Yaw, whose father Yaw Teck Seng is one of Malaysia's 40 richest people.

The Berekovens said artifacts from the ship will go to a maritime museum about the region that the younger Mr Yaw intends to set up.

The couple's own goal is to make a documentary about the survivors.

Mrs Berekoven said: 'It'll make a great story. The ship was named after the Prime Minister of England then. It had a woman on board with a baby and a two-year-old boy, and what they went through in the open waters already reads like a movie script.'

The boy, George Mildmay Dare, also returned to Singapore and became a local celebrity in his time, Mr Berekoven added. Mr Dare was the first person to be buried in the old Bidadari cemetery.

The archaeologist said: 'The ship came here, it disappeared, and it was eventually 'found' again in the National Library here. Its story is part of local history.'

Reprinted courtesy of Straits Times Indonesia. To subscribe to Straits Times Indonesia and/or the Jakarta Globe call 2553 5055.

Tall ships head for Holland

RNW, 11 August 2010 - 2:22pm

Tall ships head for Holland (Photo: ANP)

More than 30 tall ships are setting off for Holland this afternoon as they take part in the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta. The race is from Hartlepool in England to the Dutch coastal town of IJmuiden.

The race is not to see which is the fastest boat but who can sail the furthest in 120 hours. It is up to the crew which course they take.

The tall ships are due to arrive in the Netherlands next Tuesday. On Thursday next week, they will sail together to the Dutch capital Amsterdam via the North Sea Canal for the nautical event Sail.

Sail is held every five years. Many of the tall ships can be visited while they are moored in Amsterdam's harbour for five days.

Sail 2006 (Telegraaf)

Related Article:

Sail Amsterdam 2010

Mutinous Crew on Spirit of Majapahit Brings Historic Voyage to Abrupt End

Jakarta Globe, Stephanie Riady | August 13, 2010

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Manila. When the Spirit of Majapahit, a reconstruction of a 13th-century merchant ship, embarked on its eight-country expedition a month ago, it hoped to showcase the country’s maritime spirit and relive the past glory of the Majapahit Empire.

But after visiting just two countries, its crew members are heading home on a plane, and the ship will be sent back to Indonesia in a container.

“The expedition ended because of bad weather, mismanagement and the ship’s poor condition, which renders it unusable,” an Indonesian crew member said in a text message to the Jakarta Globe.

The decision came following mediation talks held late on Friday night in Manila.

The ship, which has 10 Indonesian and three Japanese crew members, docked in the Philippines capital on Aug. 4. It was supposed to depart for the Japanese island of Okinawa two days later, but bad weather and technical problems derailed plans.

Vera Kilapong, from the social and cultural division of the Indonesian Embassy in Manila, said that while waiting for the boat’s navigational equipment to be fixed, the crew members discussed a number of problems and decided to mutiny.

According to crew members, the ship, supposedly designed to break through five-meter waves, was in bad shape and could have been seriously damaged by two- to three-meter waves.

Aside from safety issues and bad weather, the crew members cited a lack of insurance and delayed payments as reasons for wanting to abandon the voyage.

Suroso, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture’s director of archeological heritage, flew to Manila on Friday to try to convince the Indonesian crew members to continue with the voyage.

But after the meeting, it was decided that the crew — and their ship — would return home, albeit separately.

​“I thank God almighty because the meeting went well, and what [our demands] as the crew of the Spirit of Majapahit were met by the ministry, represented by the presence of Pak Suroso,” said the crew member, who asked not to be identified.

“The crew will be returned home on a plane as soon as possible, and the outstanding wages will be settled by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.”

The crew member said that it had been decided the ship would be sent home in a specially-designed container for ships, “as has been done with other Indonesian [replica] ships like the Phinisi Nusantara, the Arung Samudera and others.”

“This expedition will be my first and last,” the crew member added.

The original plan was to preserve the Spirit of Majapahit at a museum and turn it into a tourist attraction after it returned from its expedition.

Tourism officials could not be reached for comment on Friday, and it is unclear whether this plan will still be pursued.

Freighters take sail in Friesland

RNW, 24 July 2010 - 7:49pm

skûtsjes in competition (Photo: LC)

The annual skûtsje competition has started on the lakes of Friesland, a province in the northern Netherlands.

A skûtsje is a flat-bottomed sailing boat built for transporting freight in the shallow inland waters of the Netherlands. In use throughout the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, they were rendered obsolete by the arrival of road transport. Despite this, such sailing competitions have never gone out of fashion and, in the last few years, have become increasingly popular among the public.

Weather permitting, the Friesland competition will last 14 days. During this time, 14 skûtsjes will take part in 11 stages. More than 150,000 spectators are expected to watch from the lakes’ shores.

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Fishermen in 34 Provinces to Receive Boat Aid

Tempo Interactive, Friday, 21 May, 2010 | 16:53 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Banyuwangi:The Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries will distribute 1,000 fishing boat with a capacity above 30 gross tons to fisherman in 34 provinces in Indonesia.

According to the Director General of Captured Fish of the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Dedy H. Sutisna, the boats will be distributed in stages starting this year up until 2015.

One province is targeted to get at least 30 boats.

“This policy is an instruction from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,” said Dedy at a working visit in Banyuwangi, on Thursday (20/5).

In this year’s state budget, he said, the Department has allocated around Rp90 billion to procure 60 ships.

One boat costs 1.5 billion.

According to Dedy, these ships are prioritized for fishermen who still use small ships.

It was expected that boats with bigger capacity fisherman will have a greater range to capture fish in order to be able capture more.

“Fisherman will automatically have more revenue,” he said.

IKA NINGTYAS.

Heavy price

The Jakarta Post, Wed, 02/17/2010 11:29 AM

Workers at the Sunda Kelapa Port, Jakarta, loading sacks of cement onto a boat heading for Dumai, Riau, on Tuesday. The Business Competition Supervisory Agency (KPPU) said the average price of cement in Indonesia is more expensive than in other countries, with cement costing US$91 per 50 kilogram bag in Indonesia compared to $75 per kilogram in Malaysia and China. JP/Ricky Yudhistira

Hungarian divers find 17th-century Dutch ship near Brazil

MTI

ANP

Budapest, November 27 (MTI) - A team of Hungarian marine archaeologists has found the wreckage of a Dutch cargo ship which sank near the Brazilian coast over three centuries ago.

Voetboog was a three-mast flyboat, which left the port of Batavia (now Jakarta) for The Netherlands with a 109-member crew on board, the expedition leader Attila K. Szaloky told MTI.

Owned by the Dutch East India Company, the Fluyt ship carried silk, spices, tea, Japanese and Chinese porcelain as well as nearly 180,000 pieces of Dutch golden ducats. The estimated value of the wreckage is about 1 billion dollars, he said.

Sailing on the Atlantic, the ship was probably caught by a storm and its only chance to get home was to stick close to the Brazilian coast. For reasons unknown, however, it sank near the coast of Pernambuco state on May 29, 1700.

The team of Octopus Association for Marine Archaeology found the wreckage in October 2008 but announced the discovery only after the first phase of examinations came to an end. The objects found in the depths suggest that it is indeed the wreckage of Voetboog which is lying on the seabed under several metres thick of sediment. Over the past 309 years, the ship has virtually disintegrated, Szaloky said.

The finds will be brought to surface and conserved in line with Brazilian law.

VOC Route (source: Batavia Werf)

Sailing to my islands

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

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

One foot on sea, one on shore

The Jakarta Post, P.J. Leo

Many writers have used references to the vital energy of ports, where workers scramble up masts as ships lie at anchor, taking on and discharging cargo.

Sunda Kelapa Port in northern Jakarta is part of the Old Town heritage site. It was built between 1634 and 1645 by the Dutch governor general J.P. Coen, whose ambition was to recreate Amsterdam in Batavia (Jakarta).

However, long before the Dutch administration reigned the East Indies (Indonesia then), the port had become the docking point for early European merchants, largely the Portuguese.

Now the port is home to inter-city trade, with ships departing and arriving from destinations in Java, as well as Kalimantan and Sulawesi islands, around the clock.

Traditional Bugis schooners or phinisi are a fixture at Sunda Kelapa, their silhouettes creating a distinctive image, from dawn until dusk.

Batam sees rosy shipyard business

Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam

The Transportation Ministry has said Batam Island in Riau province has the potential to cash in as a center for the shipyard industry, especially given the high cost of building and repairing ships in Europe and elsewhere in Asia.

Transportation Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal said Friday Batam's shipyard industry had three advantages over other shipyard centers both here and abroad.

Batam has skilled workers and the technology to produce ships at competitive prices, he said at the launching of the MV United Ocean coal ship produced by PT Trikarya Alam Shipyard in Batam.

"We also see the shipyard business in European and other Asian countries is declining due to high operational costs.

"Batam (can seize the opportunity), taking over ship-making orders...."

To support the development of Batam's shipyard industry, Jusman said his ministry would work to ease permit procedures.

"We are very happy when a ship is built by Indonesians, flies the Indonesian flag and is operated in Indonesia. Batam has a great opportunity to be able to do that," he added.

He said his office was meeting with shipyard businessmen in Batam to better understand the obstacles the industry faces related to his ministry's authority.

"Many in the industry complain the permit process is too slow. We plan to ease permit procedures in the future to help the industry here develop," Jusman said.

Riau Governor Ismeth Abdullah said his administration planned to set up a taskforce to deal with shipyard-related problems.

The move would help the booming industry, especially in Batam, Bintan and Karimun islands, he said.

He added the taskforce would be directly supervised by the transportation minister, and if a problem was serious enough it could be reported directly to the President.

Some 80 shipyard companies operate in Batam, Bintan and Karimun islands with a total investment of around US$1 billion.

Sixty-one companies are located in Batam, 15 in Bintan and four in Karimun.

"Civil servants trying to blackmail or otherwise hinder the industry's growth in Batam, Bintan or Karimun will be fired," Ismeth said.

According to the Batam Shipyard Offshore Association, the three islands were a preferred relocation site for shipyard businesses from Singapore.

Singapore reportedly plans to restrict the expansion of its shipyard industry due to environmental considerations.

The association's secretary, Kusmareni, said one of the problems faced by shipyard companies in Batam was accusations by non-government organizations the industry damages the environment

."The accusations turn us into an target, being asked for money by a local NGO under allegations of damaging the environment. We want the local government to pay attention to the problem," she said.

Sunda Kelapa: The no-frills favorite

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It was not yet noon, but the Friday morning heat was such that a group of men had tied shirts around their heads in addition to their caps to protect them from sunburn.

Covered in white dust, the men loaded sacks of cement from a cargo truck into a traditional schooner.

This activity -- a daily routine at the port -- attracted Yannick and Mona, a French couple, strolling along the dock which has a capacity to accommodate 70 schooners.

Photographing and discussing the work, they were also impressed with the long line of vessels with uniquely pointed prows and colorful decorations mooring at Sunda Kelapa Port in North Jakarta.

Sunda Kelapa is the city's most historical port, renowned for phinisi schooners, the traditional vessels of the Bugis people of Sulawesi, still used to deliver goods around the archipelago.

An Australian couple, Pat and Jenny, who had been in the country for one week, were also fascinated by the boats.

"We have wooden boats back in Australia, but they're not like these ones," Pat said.

The phinisi ships at Sunda Kelapa are wooden vessels around 40 meters long and 15 meters wide, with two main masts with seven sails each. The boats have diesel engines they can use alternately with the sails. They can carry up to 950 tons of cargo, which varies from cement and timber, to electronic devices and appliances.

The schooners transport goods across the archipelago, but mainly to Batam island or Pontianak in Kalimantan.

The journey takes up to three full days. Some may return laden with timber from Kalimantan but most return empty to Sunda Kelapa to reload.

John (not his real name), a British man, who for 13 years has been coming to Jakarta for business, said he finds the harbor unique.

"This place offers something very traditional and very Indonesian. The boats are remarkable. You can't find them anywhere else in the world," he said.

Sunda Kelapa's history dates back to the 12th century, when it was the most important harbor of the Pajajaran Kingdom (the area now known as West Java), with trading ships from China, southern India, Japan and the Middle East.

In the 15th century it became the source of a conflict. The port was conquered by Fatahillah on June 22, 1527, marking the birth of Jakarta.

Tanjung Priok, a far more modern harbor not far from Sunda Kelapa, was constructed by the Dutch in 1873 and became one of the most prominent seaports in the country, but Sunda Kelapa maintains activity.

For something different, tourists can take a boat ride across the Dutch-made canal.

Despite being popular among foreign visitors, Sunda Kelapa is not a favorite tourist destination for locals, who prefer modern entertainment centers and shopping malls.

While the area does not see many local tourists, Basri, a 50-year-old Buginese man who takes people across the harbor in his small boat every day, said over the Idul Fitri holidays more visitors had come.

"During the holidays I made more money," he said.

Basri, usually charges locals between Rp 6,000 and Rp 10,000 (US$1), and foreigners Rp 25,000 to Rp 30,000 a trip.

As part of Jakarta's old city, the harbor attracts both locals and foreigners with its schooners, but lacks tourism infrastructure.

Attended parking is available for cars but not for motorcycles.

Tourists are permitted onto schooners to get a look at the old sturdy wooden decks or a feel for the seafaring atmosphere, but first must climb a one-meter high concrete dock curb before reaching the ship.

Sunda Kelapa may serve as a loading and storage facility, but it is not tourist friendly.

Except for warehouses and a stock piling area there's not much more for tourists to see on the dock, which is poorly maintained and partly flooded with seawater.

There are no proper restaurants at Sunda Kelapa either, only street vendors selling cigarettes, peanuts and drinks.

Toilets, another vital facility, are nowhere to be found.

The poor condition of the harbor is a concern for some tourists, like John, even though he enjoys Sunda Kelapa's uniqueness.

"It's just too bad. It has so much potential. There is so much that could be done to the place."

ITS to have ship design and engineering center

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post): The Surabaya-based technology institute ITS has been appointed by the Industry Ministry to set up the National Ship Design and Engineering Center, which is expected to develop innovative and efficient ship designs that will be competitive in international markets.

ITS rector Priyo Suprobo said the center would be constructed on a 2,200-square-meter lot and cost some Rp 13.9 billion (US$1.5 million).

"The funds will be used to finance the construction of the center and the procurement of equipment and facilities. The construction is expected to be completed in six months," Priyo said as quoted by detik.com news portal.

Priyo added that the center had secured orders for the designs of three tankers from state oil and gas company PT Pertamina. "The constructions themselves will be carried out by PT Dok Dan Perkapalan Surabaya and PT Dok Koja Bahari."

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.

Lombok entrepreneur helps environment and turns a profit

Panca Nugraha, The Jakarta Post, Mataram

Hundreds of fishing boats bob in the waters off Ampenan Beach in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara. It is a classic sight, one little changed over the years. These boats also serve as a reminder of the relationship between fishermen and the forest; their dependence on the forest for the raw ingredients for the boats on which they depend to earn a living.

To produce a fishing boat measuring 10 meters in length and one meter in width, workers need trees that are at least 120 centimeters in diameter and 15 meters in length. The truth is, it takes a tree dozens of years, at the least, to reach such a size.

With old boats having to be replaced every several years, and with more and more boats being made as more people turn to fishing to earn a living, a lot of trees are being cut down for fishing boats.

Chaerudin, 52, from Ireng village, Gunungsari district in West Lombok, considered this problem and decided the best solution was to find some other material that could be used to make the boats, thus helping to preserve the country's forests.

Though Chaerudin comes from a fishing family, he was working for a furniture company in Ampenan in the 1980s when he hit upon his idea and began making his first boats from fiberglass.

"It's hard to find timber to make boats now because most of our forests have been over-logged. It is especially difficult to find the bae and suren trees that are most suitable for boats," he said.

Using the skills he picked up watching and helping his fisherman father over the years, Chaerudin being repairing fishing boats using fiberglass.

A wooden boat can only last four or five years before the hull starts to rot and spring leaks. Chaerudin repaired the leaks with fiberglass, but that was only a stopgap measure because more leaks would eventually pop up along the rotting hull.

"I thought then about what would become of fishing families if there were no more boats because there was no more timber to make them with. That was when I started experimenting, using a process of trial and error, with making boats from fiberglass," he said.

Chaerudin already had the boat making skills from his father, but what he needed was the capital to purchase the raw materials to get his business started.

With his savings from his job at the furniture company and his earnings from repairing boats, he managed to buy a mold and fiberglass materials.

A year later, in 1981, Chaerudin had made his first fiberglass boat.

"Even after completing the boat, I found it very hard to market it. The fishing community here is used to wooden boats, and I knew it would be very difficult to break the tradition," he said.

But Chaerudin was determined. So while he repaired wooden boats to earn extra money, he continued making his fiberglass boats, fine-tuning his design to perfection.

His efforts eventually bore fruit. A fiberglass boat which he left moored on Meninting River behind his house attracted someone's attention.

A foreign tourist, crossing Meninting Bridge toward the Senggigi resort area, happened to notice the boat. He approached Chaerudin and expressed his interest in the boat, which was enough encouragement for Chaerudin to continue pursuing his dream.

Chaerudin may now be considered established. He owns a fiberglass workshop, in which 20 employees build boats, from simple fishing boats to trawlers and express ferries.

"We were able to build an express ferry measuring 27 meters long and six meters wide in 2000, which is licensed to serve the Lombok-Bali route. But due to the drop in tourist arrivals, it is no longer in service," he said.

He also builds boats for pearl farmers in Lombok and tour agencies in Bali and East Nusa Tenggara. He also receives orders for fiberglass bathtubs and other household goods.

His efforts have allowed Chaerudin to provide for his family, including sending all seven of his children through school, with four of them currently at university. When the Post recently visited his workshop near Meninting Bridge, a number of employees were working on a boat ordered by a Dutch tourist.

There were also three fiberglass fishing boats nearby, ordered by the West Nusa Tenggara Fisheries Office.

Chaerudin is proof that you can make a good living without tearing down the environment in the process.

Sunda Kelapa a fading, ancient seaport

Tha Jakarta Post

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

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

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

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

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

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

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

September 28, 2005