Dutch seaweed-based fuel powers car to 80 kph in Danish trial

DutchNews, November 14, 2019 

Researchers in Denmark have achieved speeds of up to 80 kph using a car powered by Dutch biofuel made from seaweed. 

The seaweed fuel was produced by scientists at the TNO research centre in Petten and at Wageningen University and is part of an EU-funded project to develop new fuels using seaweed and algae. 

‘We’ve looked to see if seaweed fuel works in the same way as ordinary fuel and what its effect is on the motor,’ researcher Jaap van Hal told local newspaper Noordhollands Dagblad.  ‘This means that this fuel could be used for private cars in the future but seaweed fuel is also interesting for aviation and shipping.’ 

Seaweed is quick and easy to grow, making it highly suitable for biofuels, as well as food and bioplastics.

17th century Dutch shipwreck gives up more of its secrets

DutchNews, November 24, 2017

Archaeologists at the site of the find. Photo: University of Western Australia 

The ill-fated Dutch ship Batavia which sank after striking a reef off the Western Australian coast in 1629 has given up more of its secrets. 

An international team of archaeologists, including scientists from the University of Western Australia, the Western Australian Museum and the University of Amsterdam, has discovered a new communal grave in the Abrolhos Islands containing the bodies of five of the survivors.

 ‘These people probably died shortly after the shipwreck,’, archaeologist Liesbeth Smits told Trouw. ‘They died of hunger or from drinking salt water. We didn’t find any evidence of a violent death, which we saw on the remains we found earlier.’ 

The newly built VOC ship, on its way to Batavia, was doomed from the start. Commander Francois Pelsaert, a merchant but in charge of the ship, and his captain Adriaan Jakobsz did not see eye to eye and the latter conspired to hijack the ship which was laden with valuable merchandise and money. 

Wrecked

But a navigational mistake put paid to his plan and the Batavia was wrecked in 1629 on the Morning Reef off the Western Australian coast. The 282 survivors ended up on a small coral island termed ‘Batavia’s Graveyard’ – Beacon Island. In the following months a mutiny unfolded, leading to the deaths of around 115 people, many of whom were murdered by the mutineers. 

The communal grave was discovered earlier this month and was made up of five sets of human remains, along with various artefacts. 

Now, Smits is going to try to find out where the five men came from. ‘We are going to look at the chemical composition of the enamel on their teeth. This is formed during the first years of life and doesn’t change with age. All sorts of chemicals from the environment of your birth end up in there, via food among other things. These chemical elements can tell us very accurately where these people grew up,’ she told Trouw. 

International 

The method was used on other remains as well and showed the VOC, which was the first multinational company in the world, was a truly international company with French and British crew members. 

Jeremy Green, head of maritime archaeology at the Western Australian Museum, who has been investigating the Batavia and the story of its survivors since the wreck’s discovery more than 50 years ago, says the grave constitutes yet another piece of the ship’s tumultuous history. 

‘This latest find adds significantly to the wealth of information we have on Batavia, and shows that there are still very important discoveries to be made about the remarkable human story behind one of Australia’s oldest known shipwrecks,’ he said.

Amsterdam to get world’s first robot boat in €25m project

DutchNews, September 19, 2016

An artists impression of a robot boat in action

One of America’s leading universities is putting €20m into developing robot boats which will be able to navigate the Amsterdam canals without a captain. 

The project, which will start trials next year, is a joint research programme between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions, together with teams from Delft and Wageningen universities. 

The total budget for the five year Roboat research project, which will be based in Amsterdam, is €25m.

‘Imagine a fleet of autonomous boats for the transportation of goods and people,’ MIT professor Carlo Ratti said in a statement. ‘But also think of dynamic and temporary floating infrastructure like on-demand bridges and stages, that can be assembled or disassembled in a matter of hours.’

Professor Arjan van Timmeren, the AMS Institute’s scientific director said: ‘We’ll also be exploring environmental sensing. We could for instance do further research on underwater robots that can detect diseases at an early stage or use Roboats to rid the canals from floating waste and find a more efficient way to handle the 12,000 bicycles that end up in the city’s canals each year.’ 

The first prototypes of Roboat will be tested on the Amsterdam canals in 2017.

Plan to clean the oceans of plastic soup starts North Sea trials

DutchNews, June 22, 2016

Artists impression.

The Ocean Cleanup A project to clean the oceans of plastic soup will come a step nearer reality on Thursday when an experiment with a 100 metre long barrier begins 23 kilometres off the Dutch coast.

The project was launched by former Delft University student Boyan Slat in 2014 and uses long floating arms to capture the floating plastic but allows fish and plankton to pass through unharmed. 

On Thursday the barrier, resembling black plastic pillows, will be towed to the location of the coast of Scheveningen, where it will be monitored for the effects of real-life sea conditions. 

‘We want to see if we can build something which can withstand storms,’ Slat told broadcaster NOS. ‘The North Sea can be a violent place and if it remains whole here, it will stay whole anywhere.’ 

Funding

The Dutch government and construction company Boskalis have each put €500,000 into the experiment and the rest of the €1.5m cost has come from an anonymous benefactor. The experiment will take one year. 

The floating barriers are one of the most critical elements of the concept, since they are responsible for capturing and concentrating the plastic debris. The real life trials follow extensive computer modelling and scale model testing in controlled environments. 

A second test, off the coast of Tsushima Island in Japan, will take place in the second half of 2016, Slat said last year.

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An impression of how the system might look. Photo: Ocean Cleanup

.

Ocean clean-up project launches first sea experiment in 2016

DutchNews, December 31, 2015

Photo: Ocean Clean-up

A project to clean the oceans of plastic soup, launched by a former Delft University student, will begin an experiment with a 100 metre long barrier off the Dutch coast in the second quarter of 2016. 

Boyan Slat said in 2014 he had raised $2m via an internet crowdfunding project to fund his ambitious plan to scoop plastic out of the Pacific Ocean. The ‘ocean cleanup’ concept is designed to capture the floating plastic but allow fish and plankton to pass through unharmed. 

The spring experiment marks the first time the barrier design has been tested in open waters. The main objective of the North Sea test, 23 kilometres off the coast near The Hague, is to monitor the effects of real-life sea conditions, with a focus on waves and currents.

Critical

The floating barriers are one of the most critical elements of the concept, since they are responsible for capturing and concentrating the plastic debris. The real life trials follow extensive computer modelling and scale model testing in controlled environments. 

A second test, off the coast of Tsushima Island in Japan, will take place in the second half of 2016.

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Delft student raises $2m through crowdfunding for plastic soup plan

An impression of how the system might look. Photo: Ocean Cleanup

Protecting the ocean could boost economy by $900 bn, says WWF

Yahoo – AFP, 4 June 2015

More than $920 billion could be generated by 2050 and 180,000 jobs created
by expanding the ocean's protected zones, according to a study published
Thursday by conservation group WWF (AFP Photo/Romeo Gacad)

Lisbon (AFP) - More than $920 billion could be generated by 2050 and 180,000 jobs created by expanding the ocean's protected zones, according to a study published Thursday by conservation group WWF.

"Every dollar invested to create marine protected areas –- commonly known as MPAs –- is expected to be at least tripled in benefits returned through factors like employment, coastal protection, and fisheries," the campaign group said in a press release.

Research by Amsterdam's VU University, commissioned by the WWF, said the economic benefits of protecting more of the oceans would greatly exceed the costs, by easing the damage from overfishing, pollution and other environmental factors.

The researchers estimated that between $490 billion and $920 could be generated in the next 35 years by expanding protected marine areas, a process that could also create between 150,000 and 180,000 jobs.

The WWF report was released Thursday to coincide with an international conference in Portugal on the future of the oceans.

The WWF is pushing for 10 percent of the earth's oceans to be listed as protected by 2020 and 30 percent by 2030. At present, less than four percent of the oceans are designated for protection.

"MPAs are known to attract and sustain coastal tourism and recreation, supporting growth of employment and commerce," the group argued in its report.

"Globally, MPAs have been shown to increase fish size, density, biomass as well as species richness."

It added that coastal ecosystems play an important role in fighting climate change by capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

"Existing protected areas in regions like the Mediterranean, the Coral Triangle and coastal Africa, demonstrate how people can benefit from increased ocean protection," the report said.

The WWF called on the world's governments to "include strong targets and indicators for the ocean" when they meet in September to agree on an international agenda for sustainable development.

It added that the international climate talks due in Paris at the end of the year would be another "critical opportunity" for world leaders to act to protect the oceans.

Landmark Education Deal Looks to Maritime Future

Jakarta Globe, Rabab Hannan, Feb 10, 2015

Pelita Harapan University (UPH) rector Jonathan L. Parapak, right, director of the
 Shipping and Transportation College Rotterdam (STC-Group) Albert Bos, center,
 and MCS Internasional manning and training services managing director Johan
Novitrian sign a cooperation agreement as Hajo Provo Kluit from the Netherlands
 Embasy, right, and Humpuss Intermoda Transportasi director Theo Lekatompessy
look on. (ID Photo/Emral)

Jakarta. Hajo Provo Kluit, the deputy head of the economic department of the Netherlands Embassy in Jakarta, has formalized the signing of a maritime educational partnership between Pelita Harapan University (UPH), STC-Group Rotterdam and Humpuss Intermoda Transportasi.

The master’s program opens management opportunities in the field of maritime industry, with practical training and internship collaboration provided by STC and Humpuss Intermoda Transportasi.

Held at the university’s executive education facility in Jakarta on Monday, the signing of the cooperation allows the expansion of human resources in the fields of maritime, logistics and supply chain.

“The ties between Indonesia and Netherlands are very broad. Our embassy processes about 28,000 visa applications a year to travel to the Netherlands. Students are also studying at various institutes in Netherlands,” Provo Kluit said.

“Another area in which the Indonesian government is close to the Netherlands is interest in infrastructure, logistics and water management. I like to think of Indonesia as our gateway to Southeast Asia,” Provo Kluit added on behalf of the economic department of the Netherlands Embassy.

UPH’s key mission is for the specialization of the maritime industry and for senior managers to access port authority, shipping and logistics companies throughout Indonesia.

“I’d like to thank STC and Humpuss to have actually taken part together in this executive program to start something unique in Indonesia,” said UPH rector Jonathan Parapak. “This is a very elite program that will be of interest to many Indonesians. Thank you to the embassy of the Netherlands for supporting this too.”

International faculty members will also teach the program from one of the world’s largest shipping schools — STC Group Rotterdam — offering practical and engaging experiences.

“Hopefully this program can help future executives of the government,” said STC director Captain Albert Bos.

The UPH executive education center was established in 2013 with a mission to provide cutting-edge, results-orientated executive education programs that build managerial and leadership capabilities.

UPH is pushing for an international standard in education, especially in the field of human capital training for maritime services.

“The government is pushing for a maritime industry but I think there is a significant gap in the human capital development in that particular sector,” said UPH senior adviser for executive education Grace Ugut. “Building ports can be done quite quickly — money is there — but building human capital is something that will have to be invested in.”

The uniqueness of this program lies in the integration of shipping, commercial, technological and even maritime law and leadership endeavors.

“Our program will not only open up a classroom, but there is a component of internship, local content and we partner with STC because they are really good in terms of technical assistance but we also invite institutes from the UK and Sweden as they are very strong on the maritime quality and insurance,” Grace said. “We want the best standard but at the same time have all the local content.”

Theo Lekatompessy, president director of new partner Humpuss Intermoda Transportasi, however, revealed the extent of international and regional challenges through inconsistent standards of educational recognition.

“The problem is basically we need a standard in Indonesia; at least the harmonization of education. So when you have a certificate in Jakarta it will reflect the same wherever you go,” Theo said. “Our next issue is how to apply the standard on certifications of the skills [in maritime] with international standards?”

He emphasized the need to overlook international standards in order to find national common ground for Indonesian Maritime education.

“STC is fine-tuning the standards and allowing it to become applicable. UPH will focus on the education and development of the capacity building group.”

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University rectors invited to formulate fisheries curriculum

Antara News, Mon, May 23 2011

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Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammand will invite the rectors of a number of higher learning institutes to discuss the inclusion of maritime and fisheries-related subjects in their teaching programs to make them more compatible with the needs of the labor market.

Fadel Muhammad. (ANTARA)

"I will invite the university rectors to formulate curriculum which are adjusted to the labor market`s needs," the minister said here on Monday.

He said that there were complaints at present the subjects taught in universities were often not fit to the needs for a graduate to face employment.

Adjustment to employment is important for university graduates so that their classifications would meet the need of various companies seeking workers.

"We will invite the rectors on Wednesday to discuss this matter," he said adding that the central board of statistics pointed out there were a total of 8.1 unemployed people.

Some of the unemployed people are within the productive age between 20 and 40 years, he said.

Editor: Priyambodo RH

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Minister, ambassador launch Coral Reef and Climate Change Guide

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 05/20/2011

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad and Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty on Friday launched the Indonesian version of the University of Queensland’s publication Coral Reefs and Climate Change: A Guide for Education and Awareness.

Fadel, working in collaboration with the University of Queensland, had arranged for the book to be translated into Indonesian.

“Australia is widely recognized for its world-class research in environmental sciences. We are pleased that through this book we will be able to contribute and work together in conserving the beautiful reefs of Indonesia,” Moriarty said in a release received by The Jakarta Post on Friday.

The book aims to increase awareness of coral reef science and preservation. It includes recent scientific research with informative images and covers topics including oceanography, coral reef biology and the implications of climate change.

It provides practical tools and recommendations to chart and measure the health of coral reefs and a program to encourage public involvement in reef conservation.

The original publication was launched in Australia in November 2009 and was produced and published by the Coral Watch Foundation at the University of Queensland.

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Lampung University students to transplant coral reefs

Antara News, Tue, April 12 2011

"In this time the forests became subjected conservation, and wish to try to do this at sea."

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Bandarlampung, Lampung (ANTARA News) - Students of the Biology Division, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Lampung (Unila), will transplant coral reefs in Lampung Bay, the work coordinator Novriadi said here Tuesday.

(ANTARA Photo/Rosa Panggabean)

The activity is the one of the Natural Resources Conservation Week (PKSDA) XV themed "Enhancing Public Awareness and Concern for the Importance of Education and Marine Conservation for a Better Future."

"In this time the forests became subjected conservation, and wish to try to do this at sea," he added.

He said at least 50 divers will be involved, but only 10 with a job of transplanting are certified.

He said that the divers who with the job of transplanting will write their names on the reefs which are not harmful to the coral reefs and other biota.

"The observation will be conducted once in every three months," Novriadi explained .

He added, the activity would be conducted on April 18, 2011 in Ringgung beach, Pesawaran district, with at least 72 organisms to be grown and develop.

In addition, the other activities in the Natural Resources Conservation Week include environmental action themed "Show Real Action in Our Sea" and under a water photography contest themed "My Million Marine Charms of Nature".

The other activities are coloring and a drawing contest themed "Save Coral Reefs Now For Future Marine Life", Friday Good Day themed Toward the (Clean Environment) BERLIN Sea and cabaret "My sea my heart, my reef and my guardian."

"The participants of the coral transplantation are students, lecturers and diving clubs in Indonesia, while the environmental action involved high school students, college students, and other people. The conservation photography contest is followed by the Bandar Lampung people," Novriadi noted.

Meanwhile the coloring contest is for kindergarten and the drawing contest for elementary school students.

Editor: Priyambodo RH

UNHAS Students Launch Speed Boat

Tempo Interactive, Thursday, 18 March, 2010 | 17:42 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Makassar:The shipping engineering students of Hasanuddin University’s (Unhas) Technical Faculty had not been creating boats for some time, but in the past two years they began work at producing them. Last year they created a sail boat. This time they launched a speed boat.

Five students who created it one month ago, called it the Cab Over Hydro, a five-meter long speed boat. It looks like a speedboat with a sharp front.

Team leader Zulfikar said the boat, built in the Shipping Engineering workshop, used calculations integrating the theories on ship engineering as well as stability and hydrostatics.

This is the first engine-powered boat created by South Sulawesi students. The boat uses a 2,5 horse-power engine assembled with a propeller and a steering wheel. According to Zulfikar, the engine belongs to the Ship Engineering Faculty and has often been used for practical study sessions.

The Cab Over Hydro can be used in the sea or lakes. “We have tested it on the sea and fresh water areas,” Zulfikar said. The boat can carry eight people.

The boat is made of multiplex and fiber. Zulfikar said this is the real form of the ship’s miniature and is kerosene-generated.

The Class of 2007 students said the ship can only be operated offshore because it cannot resist big waves. However, it can go as far as Lae Lae Island, off the Losari coast.

Zulfikar hopes that the Cab Over Hydro will motivate other engineering students to create more advanced boats and useful applications for the public.

The Cab Over Hydro is an application of theory and field practice.

SUKMAWATI

Govt to control fish prices soon

Antara News, Sunday, January 31, 2010 23:18 WIB

A fisherman repairing a net at Cilincing, North Jakarta. Fishermen make just Rp 900,000 a month on average and find it hard to get bank loans. (Photo: Afriadi Hikmal, JG)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Marine Resources and Fisheries Ministry is set to intervene in the fish market soon to control its prices.

"This is about supply and demand. And we are to launch a limited market intervention to stabilize fish prices," Minister Fadel Muhammad said here on Sunday.

Fadel said the domestic fish market must be controlled to set fish prices to certain level without sacrificing the interests of fishermen, fish farmers and people at large.

"Like in the past, we will focus it (the market intervention) on tuna. When the market is oversupplied (with tuna) and cold storage facilities cannot accommodate it, then its price will fall to Rp6,000 a kg. Under these circumstances, we will export it to allow the price to return to normal," he said.

So far, China and Japan had adopted limited intervention to control fish prices in their domestic market, he said.

"I think it (the market intervention) will not cost us huge funds. About Rp200 billion to Rp300 billion is enough," he said.

The market intervention aimed at protecting fishermen, fish farmers and the public was not tantamount to subsidy and therefore, it would not run counter to World Trade Organization (WTO) rulings, he said.

Arif Satria, director of research and strategic studies at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), said the minister`s plan to launch the market intervention was good idea.

"This is good idea to promote fishermen`s living standards. The idea is worth supporting," he said.

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Indonesia and US to Launch Joint Ocean Research Expedition

Jakarta Globe

NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer

Indonesia has given permission to the United States to begin joint ocean exploration and research activities between the two countries.

The expedition, which will start in May this year and end in August, will take place along the Sangihe Talaud coast in North Sulawesi.

Jane Lubchenco, the administrator of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said that the research would cover aspects such as hydrothermals, oceanic mapping, oceanography, flora and fauna, mineral potential and sea exploration technology.

The exploration will cost $1.6 million. The US will use an ocean research ship named INGOOS-OKEANOS Scientific and Technical Cooperation in Ocean Exploration (SATAL) 2010.

They will be assisted by an Indonesian team consisting of researchers from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI). The team will use the Baruna Jaya ship.

“We will start exploring areas in Indonesian oceans which have potential and have not been explored before. We hope to find a lot of new discoveries,” Jane said in Jakarta on Monday.

Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Fadel Muhammad said the operation was a part of a Memorandum of Understanding between the ministry and NOAA.

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Moving toward marine based development

Marine Station Launched

Tempo Interactive, Wednesday, 30 December, 2009 | 16:53 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Semarang: Diponegoro University, Semarang, has launched a Marine Station in Awur Bay, Jepara. The Marine Station is projected as to be a maritime and coastal research and study center with international standards.

“This is an effort to develop marine science productivity,” said the Head of the Marine Station Laboratory Ir. Suryono yesterday. The Marine Station launching was held on Monday.

The station will be the center of maritime and coastal research and study. The research results can be accessed and used for studies or business development purposes.

The research service includes management of coastal and maritime resources which studies exploration potential, conservation and pollution. Besides that, the station will also study sea cultivation, biotechnology, area management and sea cultivation technological package.

“There will also be studies on non-biological potential exploitation, such as embankments, soil water and electric resources,” he said.

ROFIUDDIN

Moving toward marine based development

The Jakarta Post, Sukristijono Sukardjo, Jakarta | Thu, 12/24/2009 9:08 AM | Opinion

Few other nations should be more concerned about the ocean and oceanographic research than Indonesia. Being located in between two oceans, the Pacific and the Indian, the waters around 17,504 islands greatly influences the climate, economy and health of the people of this Republic.

The industrialization during late eighties brought in agriculture and financial services to reinforce an Indonesian economy entirely based up until then on forestry-cultivation and fun-filled beach-centered tourism. However, despite having a 2.7 million square kilometer Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the ocean based economic activities contributing to the GNP of Indonesia have been unfortunately insignificant.

Considering the fact that Indonesia has one of the highest populations in the world with access to renewable and non-renewable resources, exploitation of oceanic resources will probably follow as the next phase of the nation’s industrial development. There is a great need for an integrated approach in scientific planning, formulation, implementation and overall management of ocean related activities in Indonesia.

The coastal zone is the prime frontier area to study, as it impacts the livelihood of 60 percent of Indonesians in one-way or another. Monitoring change in the 95,181 km shoreline is an important task for the concerned ministries and research institutions. A GIS-based mapping of the coastline using satellite, aerial photography and real-time ground-truthing is taken up to estimate coastal vulnerability against geological, climatological, biological, chemical and physical extremes.

There is a proposal to set-up a few time-series stations around some major islands and outer islands (e.g. Tual, Kai Kecil islands, etc.). Such marine research stations selected on strong scientific rationale would collect data on all possible oceanographic parameters at regular intervals over a stipulated period. Modeling such data would help develop strategies to effectively mitigate coastal problems.

The livelihoods of a large majority of the Indonesian people depend on fishing and the fisheries industry. Complete biomass evaluation and detailed maps of mangroves, seagrass beds, coral reef and fish stock are still insufficient, some not available.

Mangroves

To overcome this shortfall, efforts are now on to identify new fishing banks through bathymetric survey and satellite information. Construction of artificial reefs, mariculture and mangrove rehabilitation and/or restoration are encouraged.

Continuous monitoring of chlorophyll content, sea surface temperature and current pattern are studied to maximize the resource products. Setting up of an integrated coastal zone management framework involving impact assessment certification mechanism and an efficient hazard and crisis mitigation group are being actively considered.

A substantial part of the protein needs of Indonesia come from the sea through captured fisheries — 2,500 fish species have been identified and some of these of commercial value worldwide. A good demand for filleted and other value-added forms of fish should excite the fishing industry and home industry.

Biotechnology and sea ranching mechanism can ensure high food quality and add value to the product. Grounds for deep-water shrimp trawling and possibilities to develop technology for better fish preservation are now explored. The seafood technology arena, in particular, can create a lot of job opportunities. Extracts from marine organisms can also contribute a substantial part of the country’s drug needs.

Indonesia is insisting on well-equipped laboratories and trained human resources to capture the intellectual property rights and other commercial possibilities in the field of bio-prospecting. Indonesian marine invertebrate biotechnology products have a potential value of US$340-780 million per year, and would constitute 5 percent of the world’s total output.

As a fundamental measure, the vast EEZ and the Sunda and Sahul shelf need to be explored in detail to complete geological, chemical, biological and physical mapping. Understanding the submarine landslides, sea floor tectonics and its effect on stability of islands coastlines are of great significance.

Indonesia straddles the ring of fire, has vast continental shelves, and in consonance with Article 76 of the Unclos Convention, geological and geophysical data is necessary for demarcate extension of legal continental shelves. An intensive exploration to identify maritime resources within the EEZ for hydrocarbon potential, seamount cobalt rich crust and phosphorus, hydrothermal metal deposits of the mid-oceanic ridge and associated bioactive compounds is necessary.

Another area in which Indonesia is interested to harvest renewable energy from wind, waves, currents, tides, and from large temperature difference that exist in the water le-vels within a short distance from the shore. The Indian Ocean, stretching from east of Sumatera to south of Java going to West part of Indonesia holds great promise.

Indonesia is lucky to have the Wallace Line which runs from Lombok strait between Borneo and Sulawesi to the Sulu Sea in the Philippines, marking the boundary between the Asian and Australasian faunas of Laurasian and Gondwanan ancestry. Marine creatures (e.g. Coelacanth fish) and pelagic fish e.g. Spermonde islands, are phenomenal to science. Understanding the processes of generation of new oceanic crust at the Central Indian Ridge would be interesting to obtain fundamental information on mantle melt behavior and high-grade sulphide metal deposits.

A host of worms and colorful tubes amazingly occur at this extremely hot (>200o C) deep-sea environment. The genetic adaptations of these organisms biologically in the laboratory may prove commercially potential and academically significant. Studying various dimensions and dynamics of the Central Indian Ridge-Indian Oceans should prove rewarding e.g. the discovery of giant, deep-sea -volcano in the offshore Bengkulu. Oceans regulates climate by absorbing much of the atmospheric carbon.

Hence understanding the biogeochemical environment that controls and relates oceanic productivity and atmospheric composition can help climate prediction. Increased research on air-sea interaction processes and stimulation of ocean-atmosphere coupling would contribute substantially to enhance weather and climate prediction ability.

To this end, Indonesia is now integrated with an international campaign to understand the above delicate aspects. WOC2009 is the milestone of Indonesian contribution to ocean-climate change issues.

By deploying argo floats, data-buoys, tide gauges and sediment traps, Indonesia is poised to generate a wealth of information from her waters. It is proposed to study the Sunda and Sahul shelf and Wallace’s Line seas in detail as the oceanographic parameters of this area greatly influence the tropical climate, the two oceans: Pacific and Indian, and the resultant economy.

From social points also, Indonesian waters are expected to have a wealth of history submerged, myth and legendary. Scientific investigation to catalogue marine archaeological sites of Indonesian waters and trace maritime history through research may bring out unsung pages of culture and commerce in the past.

In order to make use of the ocean in a sustainable way, ministries and institutions in Indonesia should take much interest on the issue, said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the address on the Coral Triangle Initiative Summit 2009. Dewan Kelautan Indonesia (The Indonesian Maritime Council), as a national coordination committee in ocean sciences is being set up by presidential decree for this purpose. Being a responsible contributor to global ocean research campaigns (e.g. Manado Ocean Declaration 2009), Indonesia is on the cusp of qualifying as a hub of marine research activities in the Indonesia waters, between Indian and Pacific oceans.

It is believed that only through visible, rational and responsible marine scientific activities; Indonesia can take advantage of her enormous geographical and strategic potential. If approached judiciously, oceanic activities could become a pillar of Indonesia economy in near future, following the success of Japan, Australia, South Korea, Maldives, and Mauritius that use ocean life to fuel their economy.

The writer is a Professor of Mangrove Ecology at the Center for Oceanological Research and Development, Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI).

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Jakarta Plans to Construct Sea Wall Along North Coast

The Jakarta Globe, Ulma Haryanto

Raising the dead. Workers digging up graves at the Malaka Public Cemetery in East Jakarta on Tuesday. About 100 bodies had to be relocated in order to make way for the capital’s East Flood Canal project. (Photo: Yudhi Sukma Wijaya, JG)

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo has announced that he would construct huge sea walls to protect the North Jakarta coastline from the possible consequences of global warming and other causes of tidal flooding.

“Flooding is not caused by trapped rainwater alone. It can also come from the sea, such as the tidal flooding in Muara Baru,” Fauzi said on Monday.

“Areas such as Muara Baru are the worst affected,” he added. “The sea wall will protect the lowlands of North Jakarta from the threats posed by tidal flooding.”

Fauzi also mentioned the possibility of using reverse osmosis to turn seawater into clean, drinkable water.

“B y using reverse osmosis, as already practiced by countries in the Middle East, seawater can be turned into drinking water. This is going to be a decades-long, not just a multi-year, project,” he said.

As previously reported by the Jakarta Globe, Armi Susandi, a climatologist from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), has predicted that Jakarta would sink at an average rate of 1.37 centimeters a year in the coming years.

Armi agreed that a sea wall should be built along the coastline of North Jakarta by 2015 to protect it from the rising waters.

“These walls should be at least 2 to 3 meters above sea level and 6 meters thick,” he said.

Rudi P Tambunan, head of urban development studies at the University of Indonesia, applauded Fauzi’s initiative. He said that last month he was invited to a meeting of the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) to discuss the prospect of protecting the coastline of North Jakarta from flooding.

“Considering the depth of the sea, those walls should be at places where the depth is 8 to 20 meters,” he said.

Rudi said the project was being explored in tandem with Fauzi’s initiative to reclaim certain areas of the coastline to create small islands and to revitalize existing beaches. He added that the city administration’s plan was to construct several two-square-kilometer islands 200 meters to 250 meters off the coastline.

Tarjuki, head of the water resources division at the Public Works Agency, confirmed to the Jakarta Globe that the sea wall had been included in the Jakarta Spatial Plan for 2010-2030.

However, he said, the project would not start immediately as the city administration would need to assess the details, which would take at least two years.

“The dikes currently built along the coast are temporary, and not for the long term,” he explained.

To mitigate flooding and offer residents protection from tidal surges, the Jakarta city administration has built dikes in some areas of North Jakarta, including Kali Baru, Pluit and Muara Baru. However, some sections of these dikes have reportedly already collapsed, with the worst failures in the Muara Baru area.