Samudra Indonesia orders two bulk carriers at $97.6 mln

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Publicly-listed sea transportation service company PT Samudra Indonesia Tbk has put an order with South Korea`s STX Shipbuilding for two bulk carriers at US$97.6 million.

The company placed the order for the two 57,700 dwt ships through its subsidiary, Foremost Maritime Pte Ltd, PT Samudra Indonesia`s corporate secretary, Diana P. Iskandar, said in a report to the Indonesia Stock Exchange (BEI) on Monday.

The two ships were scheduled for completion in the first half of 2011, she said adding the addition of the two ships was expected to increase the subsidiary`s capability to face a boom in the demand for bulk carrier services.

IDB funding procurement of patrol boats for RI customs

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Islamic Development Bank is funding the procurement of three new patrol boats for Indonesia`s Customs Office (DJBC) to enable the office to intensify its patrols in the country`s waters.

"With the small patrol boats it now has, DJBC often has difficulty chasing smugglers in eastern and western Indonesia waters where the waves often reach a height of five meters," the head of facilities and operations of the DJBC`s directorate for investigation, Achmad Budiyanto, said on the DJBC`s official website on Monday.

"It is now time for the Customs Office to have wide-bodied patrol boats with a length of 38 meters that can sail from island to island and brave high sea waves," he added.

State-owned ship-builder PT PAL had won the international tender held for the procurement of the patrol boats for DJBC, he said.

He said construction of the new boats would be completed in February next year.

DJBC now only had a total of 207 patrol boats of five types. he added.

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.

Robot glider harvests ocean heat

By Jonathan Fildes, BBC News, Science and technology reporter

The yellow, torpedo-shaped machine has been combing the depths of seas around the Caribbean since December 2007.

The team which developed the autonomous vehicle say it has covered "thousands of kilometres" during the tests.

The team believe the glider - which needs no batteries - could undertake oceanographic surveys for up to six months at a time.

"We are tapping a virtually unlimited energy source for propulsion," said Dave Fratantoni of the Wood's Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOi).

But Steve McPhail, an expert in autonomous underwater vehicles at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), Southampton, said the machine would not totally do away with batteries.

"You still need to provide power for the sensors, for the data-logging system and for the satellite communications system to get the data back," he said.

As a result, the vehicle would have to intermittently return to a ship or shore to recharge its batteries.

"It's always a trade-off between the power used for the propulsion system and the power used for the sensors," said Mr McPhail.

Ocean network

Oceanographers are increasingly looking at ways to study the oceans over long periods and in real time.

This is important for understanding natural variations in circulation, for example, and for looking for any changes.

Already scientists have deployed large networks of sensors across the oceans.

For example, in 2004, NOC researchers strung sets of instruments across the Atlantic to measure circulation patterns.

The Rapid project, as it was known, painted the first detailed picture of Atlantic Ocean currents and showed how they vary throughout the year.

Its successor - Rapid Watch - has just received £16m from the Natural Environment Research Council and will monitor the Gulf Stream until 2014.

Scientists are also in the process of wiring the Pacific. One project, the Argo network, will consist of an array of 3,000 floats strung out every 300km across the vast ocean.

Sensors on the floats will provide 100,000 temperature and salinity profiles every year.

Another network, the Monterey Accelerated Research System (Mars), will connect a research station in California with a sensor array deployed on the edge of Monterey Canyon, the deepest submarine canyon off the continental West Coast.

Lazy glide

The new vehicles could add to that knowledge by filling in the gaps between the sensors.

For example, it is proposed that Rapid Watch will use an armada of gliders alongside stationary sensors.

The machines are already used in oceanography and propel themselves through the ocean by changing their buoyancy to dive and surface. Wings generate lift and a vertical tail fin and rudder is used to steer.

The latest glider has been developed by Webb Research Corporation and WHOi.

It generates its energy for propulsion from the differences in temperature between warm surface waters and colder, deeper layers of the ocean.

Wax-filled tubes inside the craft expand when it is gliding through warmer water.

This heat is used to push oil from a bladder inside the hull to one outside, changing its buoyancy. Cooling of the wax at depth reverses the cycle.

Since December 2007, the prototype machine has been crisscrossing a 4,000m-deep basin in the Virgin Islands of the Caribbean.

The machine traces a saw-tooth profile through the water column as it lazily glides through the ocean, surfacing periodically to fix its positions via GPS and to relay data back to base.

According to WHOi researchers the vehicle crossed the basin between St Thomas and St Croix more than 20 times studying local currents.

The eventual aim of the project is to deploy a fleet of vehicles to study much larger flows in the North Atlantic.

"Gliders can be put to work on tasks that humans wouldn't want to do or cannot do because of time and cost concerns," said Dr Fratantoni. "They can work around the clock in all weather conditions."

Related Articles:

Hydrogen Production

Bali earns US$72 million from aquatic product exports

Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA News) - Bali earned a total of US$71.8 million from aquatic product exports during 2007, an increase by 37 percent from US$52.4 million in 2006, according to a local official.

The increase was thank to good quality of the aquatic products which had satisfied foreign buyers, Ni Wayan Kusumawathi, head of the Bali provincial trade service, said here on Saturday.

The province`s marine products had met the international standards and gone through laboratory tests, she said.

Fresh and frozen tuna exports alone brought in US$59 million of foreign exchanges last year, up by 56 percent from US$37.6 million in 2006, she said.

The volume of the tuna exports last year reached 18,621 tons, compared with 9,941 tons in 2006.

Bali exported fresh tuna especially to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Korea, and frozen tuna to European countries and the United States.

Nine missing after ship sinks

JAYAPURA (Jakarta Post) : Bad weather has hindered rescue workers from searching for nine people missing after a passenger ship capsized in the Arafuru waters of Merauke on Wednesday.

"Rescue workers continue working to find the nine but bad weather hinders them from resuming their work today," spokesman for the province police Sr. Comr. Agus Rianto said here Friday.

The KM Ratna Utama capsized on its trip from Merauke to Kimaan in Mappi regency when it was hit by big waves Wednesday night. Eight people, including crew members, were saved by a fishing boat.

The incident was the second-worst sinking in the past ten years after the KM Binar Raya capsized in 1999, killing hundreds.

Leatherback turtle swims from Indonesia to Oregon in epic journey

The Jakarta Post

BANGKOK (AP): Scientists tracked a leatherback turtle that swam from Indonesia to the U.S. in an epic 20,000-kilometer journey as it searched for food - research they hope will boost international efforts to save the endangered species.

Leatherbacks, which can grow up to 2.75 meters (9 feet) in length, have roamed the oceans for 100 million years. But researchers at the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service in California say commercial fishing makes the oceans too dangerous for the globe-trotting sea turtles, which face extinction if no action is taken.

"Migrations of this magnitude expose animals to a multitude of risks from fisheries on the high seas," Scott Benson and Peter Dutton, scientists with the service, co-wrote in a paper that appeared last month in the peer-reviewed Chelonian Conservation and Biology.

"Effective conservation requires a better understanding of migratory routes and destinations to understand and mitigate the risks at sea," they wrote.

The leatherback is the world's most endangered sea turtle. In a telephone interview Friday, Benson estimated that less than 5,000 adult females now live in the Pacific region. Males cannot be easily counted because they don't come ashore. Conservationists estimate the breed could become extinct within 30 years.

Turtles "face a myriad of risks from things like ingesting debris like plastic, to traveling through areas that are used by multinational fisheries - fisheries that would catch (the turtles) in the course of trying to catch fish," Benson said.

Benson and Dutton went to Indonesia in 2001 hoping to track some turtles using satellite transmitters, confirm their trans-Pacific route and prompt action to prevent their extinction. Their research showed the animals ranged from the South China Sea to the Sea of Japan to the North Pacific.

One adult female began her journey in 2003 on a nesting beach in Jamursbamedi in Papua province, Benson said. He and Dutton tracked the leatherback and her hunt for food for 647 days until the transmitter's battery ran out just off Hawaii. During her travels she swam as far north as the state of Oregon.



"It's the old adage of not putting all your eggs in one basket," Benson said. "If a foraging ground was bad one year,maybe another foraging ground would be good. Some portion of the population would always be able to find food."

Peter C. H. Pritchard, a turtle expert and director of the Chelonian Research Institute in Florida, said he wasn't surprised to learn how far the turtle traveled.

"It's possible and only limited by the geography of the world," Pritchard said Friday. "They are masters of the ocean. There is a tremendous amount of muscle in the front. This is a powerful fishing machine and remarkable diving machine."

Benson called for action to protect leatherback turtles as they roam the seas.

"It will be the responsibility of many countries to ensure the species survives in the Pacific Ocean for future generations," he said. "It's an animal that doesn't recognize international boundaries. You can protect the nesting beaches but if you can't protect the animal in the water, you haven't done anything."

Kwan Sing Bio: Tuban's crab shrine

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Tuban, East Java

Some two centuries ago, a boat owned by a Chinese explorer became stranded near Tuban on the north coast of Java, which was then a marshy area teeming with crabs.

In the face of this misfortune, so the story goes, the traveler pulled out his jiamsi sticks bearing verses that could foretell one's fortune.

He pleaded for the God of Wisdom, Kwan Sing Tie Koen, to give him guidance and strength to face his predicament.

"Would you like me to remain here?" he asked before shaking the sticks.

After asking the same question three times, an answer came forth: Yes.
|
"Finally, the adventurer decided to stay there and live on Tuban's coast and build a temple called Kwan Sing Bio, or the Shrine of the God of Wisdom," Hendra Susanto, Kwan Sing Bio's spiritual leader, told The Jakarta Post.

Tuban, located 90 kilometers west of the East Java capital of Surabaya, has long been an important city due to its strategic location and role as a main port since the pre-Islamic period of the Majapahit Kingdom.

As the Islamic era was ushered in, Tuban became a vital place in history after Sunan Bonang, or Maulana Makdum Ibrahim -- one of the nine Islamic propagators in Java, known as the Wali Songo -- was buried behind Jami' Mosque in the town square.

The legendary temple itself is located west of Tuban. It is a place of worship for Tri Dharma followers -- Confucianists, Taoists and Buddhists.

Hendra said the temple, also known as the crab shrine, was not easy to construct due to the swampy land it was built on.

After clearing and leveling the area, the shrine was erected with the crab as its signature feature.

"Tri Dharma teachings believe crabs are chosen by gods to protect people living in Tuban," Hendra said.

On the five-hectare plot, the temple is divided into several areas, with the front and oldest section serving as the place of worship and prayer.

A room for Mandarin language lessons, jiamsi fortune telling and a secretariat office is located at the side, while a hall has been set up in the center, adjacent to a garden that has adopted Chinese architecture, complete with a small lake and bridge.

The rear area, which is currently under construction, will serve as a multipurpose area and will include lodgings.

Reverence for sea creatures, like crabs, is evident in the fact that Tri Dharma followers avoid using crabs as offerings.

Hendra said another unique sign of the crab could also be seen in the geography of Tuban area itself, which resembles a crab with two pincers.

"The first pincer is situated in Tjoe Ling Kiong or the Sea Goddess Shrine in the town square and the second pincer in Kwan Sing Bio shrine."

Bali Police involve fishermen, residents to prevent terrorism

Dicky Christanto, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

Police in Bali are training residents to play an active role in preventing terrorist attacks.

The island has suffered two terrorist attacks. Deadly bombings in 2002 and 2005 killed hundreds of people, mostly foreign tourists. The bombings also had a crippling effect on the island's tourist industry.

"With a limited number of personnel, we (the police) can not handle (the security of) the whole island by ourselves," Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Paulus Purwoko said recently.

Police began the new initiative by approaching fishing communities, which are seen as vital in the effort because of the vulnerability of the island's 400 kilometers of coastline.

"We organized a meeting with representatives of the island's fishing communities, seeking ways to establish a close cooperation with them in securing the island's coastal and border areas," he said.

More than 300 groups of fishermen from across the island have participated in a series of meetings since the end of 2007. Officers from the Bali Police have used the meetings to teach the fishermen various aspects of intelligence gathering, early detection and how to handle critical situations.

Nyoman Sudi, a former fisherman who now uses his jukung, a traditional outrigger boat, to take tourists on guided sea tours near Sindu Beach in Denpasar, said he attended a meeting three months ago.

"The meeting took place at the South Denpasar Police office and lasted for about two-and-a-half hours," he said. At the meeting, Sudi said, police officers introduced participants to procedures and methods for dealing with suspicious objects, situations and individuals.

"For instance, what we should do if we come across an unattended bag or a group of suspicious people in our neighborhood," he said.

The officers also asked participants to alert the nearest police station if they saw an unidentified ship approach the beach.

"There is a probability that the people who want to destroy Bali will use the beach as their main entry point. So the police asked us to remain vigilant on this matter," Sudi told.

Police also taught participants how to use the element of distraction to gain the upper hand on suspected terrorists.

"For instance, some of us would engage the person(s) in a friendly chat while the rest of us would run to the nearest police station to report the presence of suspicious individual(s)," Sudi said.

The meetings have yielded concrete results. Ketut Sukarja, the head a group of fishermen based at Sunrise Beach in Sanur, Mina Sari Asih, said his group had already informed the police about the presence of several unidentified boats in Sanur.

"The police responded quickly to each and every report we made," he said.

"We made the report by cellular phone, or if the phone's signal was down we did it the hard way, some of us waiting at the scene while the others sailed to the nearest police station," Ketut said.

Most of the reported boats were later found to be engaged in illegal fishing.

The cooperation between the police and the fishermen has also resulted in several arrests of suspected criminals on Sunrise Beach.

"Most of them were crooks who targeted parked motorcycles or the engines on our speedboats. But none of them were terrorists, or at least that's what the police said," he said.

Cargo vessel missing on Java waters

The Jakarta Post

SEMARANG, Central Java: A cargo vessel and its crew of seven has been missing in Java waters since last Saturday.

Captained by Umar, the Sumber Utama was on its way from the port of Tanjung Emas, Semarang, to Pontianak in West Kalimantan, Semarang Search and Rescue Agency operations chief Marsono said Monday.

The boat is believed to have encountered a serious problem before it lost radio contact with seaports in Semarang and Jepara, Marsono said.

"We could not detect where the vessel developed a problem, but contact between the seaports and the vessel was cut off," he said.

Marsono explained that his side could not conduct a search operation because of the bad weather and high waves.

China lifts ban on fishery imports from Indonesia

Beijing (ANTARA News) - China has lifted its ban on Indonesian fishery imports after its General Administration for Quality Supervision Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) had ascertained that fish processing procedures in Indonesia meet its standards.

"The AQSIQ has notified the Indonesian embassy in Beijing that as of February 4, they have lifted their temporary ban on fishery imports from Indonesia," deputy chief of mission at the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing, Mohammad Oemar, said here Tuesday.

The notification means that effective February 4, all fishery products from Indonesia can enter the Chinese market, he said.

The decision to lift the ban was made after AQSIQ officials observed fish processing procedures in Indonesia in January 2008.

The decision to lift the import ban was the result of the AQSIQ officials` visit to Indonesia recently, in addition to negotiations that took place between Indonesia and China, Oemar said.

China, on August 3, 2007, imposed a temporary ban on fishery imports from Indonesia after AQSIQ found that some of the Indonesian products did not meet safety standards for consumption.

During the ninth meeting of the Indonesia-China Joint Commission in Shanghai in October 2007, the import ban was discussed by Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Pangestu and her Chinese counterpart, Bo Xilai.

At the meeting, Bo Xilai said the Chinese Trade Ministry (MOFCOM) was committed to helping Indonesia overcome the quarantine problem faced by its fishery exports to China.

His ministry, Bo Xilai said, had conducted a series of intensive meetings with AQSIQ to discuss the ban, and sought a solution so that the ban could be lifted.

Oemar expressed hope that Indonesian fishery producers and exporters would take the opportunity to return to the Chinese market and improve the quality of their products.

President: Aging weaponry should be scrapped

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the Indonesia`s aging weaponry should be scrapped for security and safety reasons.
sv
"The direction of the government is clear enough. Some time ago the government and the military issued a decision that outdated armament should no longer be used," the president said after a limited meeting at the defense ministry here on Monday afternoon.

He affirmed that a number of old armaments like Hercules C-130 and amphibious tanks would no longer be used.

The government, according to him, will impose a sanction, if a commander is caught red-handed in still using such aging ships, aircraft or other war equipment.

"We have decided and instructed the military (TNI) not to use aging armaments. Those failing to follow this instruction will be liable to a sanction," he said.

Hence, the head of state said the old weapons would be replaced by new ones at a cost derived from export credits in the rupiah denomination..

Furthermore, he disclosed that the decision on the replacement is based on the need to maintain safety and security.

On the occasion, Indonesian Defence Forces Commander Gen. Djoko Santoso said that he has studied and evaluated all the weaponry, including the aging ones.

Asked whether it will affect the readiness of the military in holding joint exercises in 2008, he said we will look into that.

6 marines killed after amphibious tank sinks

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (AP/Antara): An aging amphibious tank sank in stormy seas during a military training exercise, killing at least six Indonesian marines and leaving one missing, a Navy spokesman said Sunday.

The accident occurred in the Java Sea on Saturday, the final day of a weeklong naval exercise involving dozens of Russian-made amphibious tanks, submarines and warships, Navy chief spokesman Cmdr. Iskandar Sitompul said.

The 45-year-old BTR-50P amphibious assault tank sank after encountering three-meter high waves off Situbondo in East Java.

"The crew could not control the tank because of the high waves and strong currents," Iskandar told reporters after the bodies of the six arrived at Halim Perdanakusumah Air Force Base on Sunday for a military ceremony.

"A marine was stuck in the exit door when escaping the tank, blocking six other marines."

One other marine was missing and eight survived.

Iskandar said the Navy would evaluate the tanks, made in Russia in 1962, to prevent such accidents in the future.

Indonesia warship nabs Cambodian-flagged tanker

Biak, Papua (ANTARA News) - An Indonesian warship, the KRI Tjiptadi, commanded by Major Haris Bima Bayuseto nabbed a Cambodian-flagged motor tanker (MT), the Yon Shun, in the Arafuru Sea on Sunday (Jan. 27), an official said.

The motor tanker carrying 1,060 tons of diesel fuel was nabbed because it did not have the required documents to sail in Indonesian waters, Colonel Jaka Santosa, an intelligence officer at the Indonesian Navy`s Eastern Fleet Command, said here on Wednesday.

The tanker`s skipper, Zhang Zhen, and its 10 Chinese crew members are now being detained at the Indonesian naval base in Tual, Maluku, he said.

"The MT Yong Shun trespassed Indonesian waters as it lacked the required permit and there were indications it was carrying illegally-transferred diesel oil," Colonel Jaka said.

The foreign tanker tried to escape to Australian waters when it was chased by the Indonesian warship, he said.

He said the Chinese motor tanker was possibly part of a syndicate of Chinese fishing boats which often poach in the Arafuru Sea.

Industry minister commissions NaSDEC building in Surabaya

Surabaya (ANTARA News) - Industry Minister Fahmi Idris commissioned ae National Ship Design and Engineering Center (NaSDEC) Building at the Surabaya Sepuluh November Institute of Technology (ITS) campus here on Tuesday.

The center was built on a 2,200-square-meter plot of land and comprised hardware and software facilities that had cost a total of Rp7 billion.

Present at the commissioning ceremony were among others Industry Ministry, Transportation Ministry and Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry officials, and national shipping and shipyard business people

NaSDEC is a new institute which was built from 2004 to 2005 under a cooperation scheme between the Industry Ministry and ITS following the issuance of Presidential Instruction No 5/2005 on empowerment of the national shipping industry.

On the occasion, the industry minister said the shipyard industry was a strategic one for the future of transportation, mining, fishing, tourism, and the military`s main armament system (alutsista).

Fahmi said the shipping industry was being developed in order to be able to meet the potential demand for ships in domestic and foreign markets.

Tanker leaves fishing boat to sink after crash

BATAM (The Jakarta Post) : A very large crude carrier (VLCC) tanker with a foreign flag fled the scene after colliding with a fishing boat in the Malaka Strait, near Nipah Island in Riau Islands late last week.

The accident killed the fishing boat's skipper, Abdul Wahid, 44, and injured his eight crew members, who were hospitalized at Karimun hospital.

The head of the Safety and Control Section of Tanjung Balai Karimun Port, Fahrin, said on Saturday the tanker crashed into the fishing boat on Thursday at around 7 p.m.

The boat had departed from Tanjung Balai and was headed to Nipah Island for fishing. But on its way, the tanker crashed into it. Some witnesses said the tanker had given a sign but the boat's crews seemed to not hear it.

After the crash, the tanker stopped briefly but did not aid the fishing boat before continuing on. Another ship came to the aid of the crew members.

Chief for Security Operations at the Navy's Western Fleet Commodore Sugeng Dharmawan said he had sent a naval vessel to investigate the cause of the accident. However, Sugeng said he did not yet know the origin of the tanker.

Indian naval ships to arrive in RI

The Jakarta Post

Ships from the first training squadron of the Indian navy are scheduled to arrive in Indonesia on a goodwill visit. Indian naval ship INS Tir Krishna Tarangini and Indian coast guard vessel Varuna will arrive today (Monday) in Bali before traveling to Jakarta on Feb. 4 to 8

The ships have been training officer cadets on completion of their Ab-Initio training at the naval academy. On board, the cadets are trained in the practical aspects of seamanship, ship-handling, engineering and weapon handling, and acquire experience on sailing and life aboard a ship.

"Goodwill visits by the ships of the Indian navy will strengthen the cordial relations between the two nations," the Indian Embassy in Jakarta said in a press release sent to The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Indonesia and India have long held good maritime relations; the issue of maritime terrorism and piracy in the Malacca Strait has risen to the forefront of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Since 1995, the key aspects of this relationship have involved visits of Indian navies to Indonesian ports and vice-versa, and conducting joint naval exercises. India has also been conducting bilateral search and rescue operations with Indonesia, named Indopura SAREX.

In the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, India launched Operation Ghambir in January 2005 and sent food and medical supplies to Indonesia through its hospital ship INS Nirupak and the corvette INS Khukri.

During their stay in Indonesia, the ships' crews will be interacting closely with officers and sailors from the Indonesian Navy.

The senior officers and commanding officers will also be calling on government and naval dignitaries. While visiting Bali and Jakarta, the ships will be open to visitors. (JP/Ella Davison)

Hydrogen Production

OCEES International, Inc. intends to leverage its extensive experience into the development of floating OTEC platforms within the tropical region of the planet, utilizing existing oil platform technology, to support an operational OTEC system incorporating its natural synergies for providing energy to a hydrogen electrolysis and liquefaction plant.

Liquefied hydrogen can then be shipped via existing technology to the industrial market centers of the world to supply a transportation fuel and fuel source to an impending hydrogen based economy.

OTEC’s greatest potential is to supply a significant fraction of the fuel the world needs by implementing large, floating platforms and or grazing plant ships to produce hydrogen or other suitable transportable energy carriers.

Proposed First Installation Locations

There are two possible reasonable candidates for commercial scale installations of OTEC hydrogen plants. One of these is on an offshore platform off the coast of a suitable tropical island installed in 3,000 feet of water. In an arrangement similar to that of the Iceland Hydrogen Project; a car company, an energy company, and OCEES International, Inc. with local government participation would form a consortium to build and operate a 100 MW OTEC hydrogen plant. The LH2 produced would be used to power fuel cell equipped cars and buses in a demonstration of environmentally friendly technology.

Another immediately possible OTEC hydrogen project is to use one or more existing oil platforms in water depths greater than 3,000 feet in the Gulf of Mexico. As these newer generations of deep platforms exhaust the oil reservoir at their particular location they can be transformed into OTEC hydrogen production platforms. This would be a more economical approach than removing these platforms. The cost of an OTEC hydrogen system under these conditions would be approximately 25% less than one which requires the construction and deployment of a new platform.

It should also be noted that the design of these deep off-shore oil platforms could in the first instance incorporate a small (3 to 4 MW) OTEC plant to power the oil drilling and pumping functions as well as provide fresh water and air conditioning. Such a design would significantly reduce the present supply requirements from shore for these offshore installations.

Related Article:

’Temperatuurverschil in oceanen is gratis energie’ (Dutch)

Indonesian Navy to receive third new warship

2008-01-25 20:50

JAKARTA, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- A new 1,600-ton warship manufactured in the Netherlands will soon enter service with the Indonesian Navy along with two such ships already in service, a Navy spokesman said Friday.

The KRI Hasanuddin 336 warship left the Schelde dockyard in the Netherlands on Dec. 18, 2007 and is expected to arrive at the Mentigi Tanjung Uban Port in Riau Islands Province on Sunday, saidMaj. Ainur Rafiq.

The Indonesian government has ordered four new warships for the Navy, he was quoted by the national Antara news agency as saying from Riau.

The making of the third warship began in 2005.

Ainur said the Hasanuddin was armed with surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine missiles and electronic warfare equipment.

It carries 76-mm super rapid cannon, MM-40 exocet missiles, and torpedoes.

The ship measures 90 meters in length, 12.2 meters in depth and8.2 meters in height, with a maximum speed of 28 knots.

Personnel capacity is 80 for a running time of 20 days.

Canoe business promises endless fun along the shore of Sindu beach

Dicky Christanto, The Jakarta Post, Sanur

"Look. I'm going to that patch of water over there," Kadek told his playfriends that evening. The four-year old was sitting in a canoe.

He enthusiastically moved the paddle, pushing the water to the back of the canoe. The resulting momentum launched the canoe and moved it away from the shore of Sindu beach, Sanur.

His little hands gripped the paddle tightly, struggling to reach the spot he was aiming for. He smiled proudly as he reached it. It was obvious the canoe was the most exciting thing he could imagine that afternoon.

Unlike Kuta Beach that offers high waves to thrill those who like surfing, beaches in Sanur area offer much calmer swell, which suits children and others who long to get wet.

"The relatively quiet water here is the main reason we started the canoe rental business," Wayan Martika, owner of the canoe told The Jakarta Post.

Martika, who has a fleet of 20 canoes, was very busy that afternoon. As the beach grew more crowded Martika ran out of canoes. He had to convince potential customers to wait patiently for their turn to go out on the water.

When he started the canoe business around five years ago, Martika paid Rp 1.9 million (around US$211) per boat to canoe makers near his banjar (traditional neighborhood organization).

For a Rp 10,000 rental fee, visitors could take canoes without any fixed time limitation.

"I share their happiness today. I am very thankful for the profit I have made."

On busy days like that Wednesday afternoon, Martika said he could bring in anywhere from Rp 100,000 to Rp 150,000, which was money used to support his family.

But part of that day's profit would have to be tucked away, he said, "just in case there aren't any customers tomorrow".

Along with four other canoe owners in the area, Martika shares all the ups and downs the canoe business has to offer. Unlike business people who often try to undermine competitors, Martika acknowledged that he and his colleagues in the rental business had managed to create a healthy business environment.

"We fairly divide the area of the beach among the five of us and we have also set a standard rental tariff to ensure that everybody can benefit from the business together."

I Made Sedyadana, another canoe owner, shared similar feelings. He acknowledged that one of the important factors keeping him in the business was his friendship with other canoe proprietors at Sindu.

Sedyadana, who said he could save up to Rp 500,000 per month from the canoe business, also owns a passenger boat that takes tourists out to Nusa Penida Island.

"Over the last few years the number of visitors to this area has kept increasing. Based on this trend, I am very optimistic that the business will generate more profit in the future," he said.

However, Martika and Sedyadana admitted they hadn't been able to develop the canoe business to the extent they had dreamed. The reason: they didn't have the guts to take out a loan from the bank to expand the business.

"Somehow, I feel very reluctant to go to the bank to borrow money. I wonder if a villager like me can understand the sophisticated procedure involved. And I'm afraid I'll get trapped in debts that I can't handle," Martika said.

Bali suitable for Nila fish breeding

DENPASAR (The Jakarta Post) : Freshwater lakes in Bali offer an ideal habitat for breeding the economically valuable Nila fish (Tilapia nilotica), a researcher said Thursday.

"Based on our 2006 research on Bali's economical potential there are 19 main commodities in the fishing sector, including Nila fish," said I Wayan Windia, a lecturer of the Agriculture Faculty of Udayana University, as quoted by Antara.

Bangli, the only regency in Bali without any beach, is the best region for Nila's breeding, he said, adding that lakes such as Batur Lake were especially suitable.

Windia said breeding Nila fish would encourage the development of the fishing sector in the regency.

Pollution in Batam keeps fishermen on shore

Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam

Hundreds of traditional fishermen in Batam, Riau Islands, have stopped fishing over the past few weeks due to the heavy pollution dumped by oil tankers in Batam waters.

Jumangin, a 60-year-old fisherman in Teluk Mata Ikan, said most fishermen in his village had stayed home and a few had sought other work in construction projects since the sea and coastal areas around the village were heavily contaminated.

Fishermen say they have frequently filed complaints to relevant authorities but no positive response has been given so far.

"The polluted waters have forced fish to migrate to deeper waters and made nets and bodies black. It is impossible for us to use our small boats to fish in deeper water along the Malacca Strait," he told The Jakarta Post here on Tuesday.

Jumangin said he doubted the capacity of local security authorities to protect the area against sea pollution. He said it the main pollution was caused by oil sludge dumped by oil tankers passing through the Malacca Straits and it has happened right under security authorities' noses.

"Each time we file complaints to the authorities we are asked to identify oil tankers and vessels dumping oil sludge. It is their task, and not ours, to conduct surveillance and arrest the polluting tankers," Jumangin said, also an executive of the local chapter of the All-Indonesian Fishermen Association (HNSI).

Under normal conditions, fishermen could earn up to Rp 200,000 per day but following the pollution, Jumangin said it had been very difficult to get even Rp 40,000 a day.

Another fisherman, Abdurrahman, said he has moored his boat for three weeks and would be seeking other work if the pollution continues.

He said many vessels dump toxic wastewater in the Batam sea and local authorities did not take any measures to stop them.

"The poisonous wastewater is packed in plastic bins before being dumped far off the island but later they are carried back to shore by waves and strong winds," he said.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Toxic Waste Transporters Association (Aspel B3) Kurniawan said the oil sludge and toxic waste were dumped by tankers undergoing cleaning service in the middle of the sea between Indonesia and Singapore.

He also regretted the government could not enforce the law to stop the sea pollution, saying Indonesia should uphold its sovereignty on its sea territories.

Secretary of the HNSI local office Awaluddin Nasution said almost all fishermen in the Riau archipelago could not set out to the sea after the waters were badly polluted.

"Foreign oil tankers have dumped their sludge when the wind was blowing toward Indonesia," he said, citing that the dumping occurred when the tankers were undergoing an illegal tank cleaning service which involved Indonesian workers.

He said he suspected the reason authorities had turned a blind eye to the oil dumping was because they were receiving bribes from oil tankers during their passage through Indonesian waters.

Chief of the local waste water and environmental impact management office Dendi N. Purnomo said his office has deployed devices to collect toxic waste to be sent to the toxic waste water processing plant in Cibinong in West Java.

He also said the sea pollution has also affected the tourist resort on the island. "Tourists can no longer swim or do other water activities like surfing or canoeing.

He said he had spoken with the naval base on the island to enhance supervision and urged them to bring harsh sanctions against oil tankers dumping waste in the area.

MV Budi Jasa catches fire

Karimun, Riau Islands (ANTARA News) - MV Budi Jasa plying between Batam and Moro in the Indonesian province of Riau Islands caught fire while refueling at a floating bunker and filling station Monday, police said Tuesday.

Only its crew member, identified as Suardi (35), sustained a minor injury in the accident, chief of the Moro police precinct Adj Comsr Burhanuddin said.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.

The motor vessel with a capacity of carrying 40 passengers had dropped all its passengers before refueling at the floating bunker and filling station.

Police are still interrogating all the crew members of the ill-fated motor vessel.

Australia detains 28 Indonesian fishermen in Darwin

Brisbane (ANTARA News) - Australian authorities until Tuesday were still detaining 28 Indonesian fishermen at a detention center in Darwin, Northern Territory, Indonesian Consul in Darwin, Harbangan Napitupulu said.

"The number of Indonesian fishermen detained now is far smaller than those detained in the November-December 2007 period which reached 250 persons," he told ANTARA.

He said two Indonesian fishing vessels were intercepted on January 12 and January 20, 2008 because they were poaching in Australia`s northern waters.

RI agrees to install seven radars from US in Makassar Strait

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government has agreed to install seven radars to be provided by the United States in the Makassar Strait to support security maintenance efforts in the country`s second main sea-lane, a minister said.

"The purpose of installing the seven radars is to support maritme defense and security in the South East Asian region," Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono told ANTARA News on Tuesday.

He said the US government was committed to helping Indonesia to build its capacity to secure its waters by among other things providing the surveillance radars.

"The proposal to install the surveillance radars in the Makassar Strait was filed in 2006 but it will only be implemented in stages starting in 2008," he added.

Juwono said the main function of the seven radars in the Makassar Strait would be that of preventing acts of terror at sea.

"This accords with ASEAN`s joint commitment on maritime defense and security in the ASEAN region," he said.

In the Asia and Pacific region, including ASEAN and Indonesia, the security of the Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) was a matter of vital importance to users of these lines in the region, he added.

The US had previously also given five surveillance radars which were set up along the Malacca Strait to support security in the world`s busiest sea lane.

The five radars were now functioning as part of the Integrated Maritime Surveillance System (IMSS) in the Malacca Strait where security was being maintained jointly by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore through a coordinated patrol scheme launched in July, 2004.

The three nations` coordinated patrols had resulted in a 70-percent decrease in criminal activity in the Malacca Strait, Juwono said.

China to send quarantine officials to Indonesia

Beijing (ANTARA News) - China will send a number of quarantine officials to Indonesia next week to see if its aquatic production process has met the prevailing standards, an official said.

The officials from China`s General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIS) would leave for Indonesia on Monday (Jan 21), Deputy Chief of Indonesian Mission in Beijing Mohamad Oemar said on Friday.

The visit was very important and strategic to see if the Indonesian aquatic products had met the standards so that they could be exported to China, he said.

China is imposing an import ban on Indonesian aquatic products, arguing they fall short of standards.

"The team`s visit to Indonesia is the final process of a series of talks on the aquatic products," he said.

While in Indonesia, the officials would visit a number of fishery laboratories and production centers, he said.

"We hope the visit will lead to China lifting the import ban on the Indonesian aquatic products and Indonesia is ready to receive the visit," he said.

Vessel with 27 passangers reported missing in Masalembu water

Sumenep, Madura (ANTARA News) - As many as 27 passengers of "Salju Emas" vessel which left Masalembu port at about 14:00 local time on Monday for Gresik port, Kalianget, Sumenep district, Madura, were reported missing in Masalembu waters.

The belief that the passengers had gone missing during their voyage was based on the fact that the vessel until Wednesday at 18:30 local time had not arrived at the destination port of Gresik Putih, Kalianget, Madura, the chairman of non-governmental organization for tracing information on Sumenep community (LSM-Puslimas), Maktub Syarif, said here on Wednesday.

The distance between Masalembu port and Gersik Putih port in Kalianget was only 112 miles and could be covered in only 12 to 14 hours by a motor vessel.

Maktub said the vessel should have anchored at Gresik`s Putih port, Kalianget, at around 04:00 and 05:00 local time on Tuesday (Jan 15). "But until now, the vessel has yet to show up at the distination port and hence is believed to be missing in the waters."

Some passengers had brought with them cell phones But since Tuesday none of them could be contacted. "I am afraid something has happened to them."

Some members of passengers` families had reportedly conducted a search and contacted some fishermen passing Masalembu waters. But no results were reported.

He believed that the ill-fated vessel carrying goods, coconuts and some empty drums was dragged by the sea currents and stranded in an area near Kangean islands.

Meanwhile, the Sukajeruk village head , Maliyanto, admitted that his residents who boarded the ill-fated vessel had yet to arrive at the destination port.

U.S. grants 15 patrol boats to National Police

The Jakarta Post

BATAM (Antara): The United States Ambassador to Jakarta, Caron Hume, handed over 15 patrol boats to National Police chief Gen. Sutanto in Batam, Riau Islands on Thursday.

The small patrol boats will be used to secure Indonesian waters prone to piracy, smuggling activities of drugs and firearms and other maritime crimes.

Batam and Bitung in North Sulawesi will each get four of the boats while Tarakan in East Kalimantan will receive five and another two will be stationed in Bangka Belitung Islands.

"The grant shows the U.S.'s concern for securing Indonesian waters because sea security is not only for Indonesia but also for our neighboring countries.

"Ships from other countries also pass through our waters so they have an interest in securing our waters."

The boats will be operated by the respective provincial police although they are owned by the National Police Water Police Directorate.

Meanwhile, Hume said the U.S. was committed to help the Indonesian Water Police secure Indonesian waters."

The grant is a reflection of cooperation and trust which have been fostered all this time," he said.

Container terminal set for expansion

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta International Container Terminal (JICT) will expand its 72-hectare container yard by 12.4 hectares to increase its storage capacity by 57 percent to 55,000 ton equivalent units (TEUs).

The leading container terminal at Tanjung Priok port in North Jakarta will also procure some capacity handling equipment, build a road access to the unfinished Jakarta outer ring road and add its existing four entrance gates by 24 and its four exit gates by four with a total investment of US$150 million.

President director Bambang Bhakti said here Wednesday that JICT was targeting to handle a total of two million TEUs this year from 1.8 million TEUs handled last year.

"This means we are targeting to handle around 170,000 TEUs every month," he said, adding that the construction, which would start in March, was expected to finish in 2011.

He said after the completion of the expansion, the company would be able to serve three million TEUs per year.

Despite prediction about the global economic slowdown this year, which is driven by crisis of the U.S subprime mortgages, he said he was optimistic with the growth of Indonesia's exports and imports.

The U.S. is one of Indonesia's main export-import destinations which means a slowdown in its economy could dampen trade demand to Indonesia.

However, Bambang said he believed the country's economy would continue to grow as it had over the past five years.

"We are preparing this terminal to keep up with the growing demands in the future because we aim to become a world class container terminal," he said.

Manager for corporate affairs Agus Barlianto said that in order to meet its annual targets, the company had been stretching its working days so that it would have just 24 hours of shut down per year, comprising 16 hours for Idul Fitri and eight hours for Idul Adha -- both are Islamic holidays.

He said the customs office had agreed to keep up with the company by limiting its holidays.

Bambang said that the company, in cooperation with the customs office, had implemented a port system as part of the National Single Window (NSW), a recently launched online permit issuance program for exports and imports through Tanjung Priok port.

"So far, we have problems in implementing the port system as we are well-connected with the customs office. We are waiting for other government institutions that will join this system," he said.

The government launched the port system in the middle of December, involving five government agencies including the customs office to serve imports activities limited for 100 companies of the priority lane service.

JICT is a joint venture company owned 51 percent by Hutchinson Port Holdings and 49 percent by state-owned company PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) II and the maritime employees cooperative.

Up to 60 percent of import-export activities in the country are carried out through the Tanjung Priok port. (ind)

Long absences from home put fishermen at greater risk of HIV

Jane Raniati, Contributor The Jakarta Post, Gianyar, Bali

With over 17,000 islands and 755 ports, Indonesia's maritime and fishing industries are a major source of national income.

Indonesia has over 425,000 marine fishermen (estimated by Graham Hugo in 2001), and over five million "fisherfolk" involved in all aspects of Indonesia's fishing industry (estimated by Kissling et al. in 2005).

Balinese researcher Made Setiawan recently concluded a study among fishermen based at Benoa Port in Bali -- almost all of whom are Javanese -- to investigate the social factors and dynamics that put them at risk for HIV/AIDS.

True to the stereotype of the drunken sailor, he found that with a combination of lump sum per-trip cash payments, advances and bonuses, most are unable to save any money or aspire to a better life.

Risking injury or death on a daily basis at sea, living away from wives and families in a different culture, and treated as migrant workers in their own country, they turn to drink, pornography, and brothels for their entertainment during their short breaks on land in Bali.

Made, who received his doctorate in Public Health from the University of Illinois in Chicago, based his findings on extensive observation and conversations with a wide variety of fisherfolk at the port and dorms, in addition to in-depth interviews with 29 crew members from small fishing boats (which stay at sea for two weeks per trip, and have a crew size of about eight).

As he reports, the dynamics of risk are as hard to untangle as their fishing lines. On land, the fishermen regularly hold spontaneous or planned drinking parties. Those with cash in hand are "king for a day" and will treat any friends who happen to be around, based on a complex network of favors owed, promises of future credit, and enduring friendship bonds formed while facing peril at sea, or through risky collaboration in sales of stolen fish or illegal shark fins.

At the same time, charismatic fishermen or officers may influence their peers or underlings toward either safer or riskier practices. They may be a source of accurate health information and facilitate access to good services, or they may propagate harmful myths and promote dangerous self-treatment and ineffective preventive practices.

Use of prostitutes at Sanur brothels is popular. Condoms are not. Fishermen prefer preventive practices such as choosing clean and healthy-looking, or younger girls, taking antibiotics in advance, washing afterwards, or keeping themselves fit and strong, all of which make them feel relatively immune to sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Not infrequently, fishermen may pay for one girl to share among a small group of friends, often fellow crew members or roommates working for different boats.

As Made says, even if fishermen form an intention to use condoms, in the inebriated heat of the moment, caution is generally thrown to the wind.

Often the sex workers suggest using condoms and even provide them (the government and local NGOs promote 100 percent condom use), but they have no power to enforce usage; the men will just choose a different girl. It is not consistent with their masculine cultural identity to let women call the shots.

While on board, on their journey home from fishing areas, some fishermen make and insert crudely crafted, rounded plastic or glass implants under the skin of their own or their friends' penises, using any kind of available sharpened blade and whatever antiseptic they can find.

Painful infections often result, but even if all goes well, the fishermen generally will rush to try out the new accessories on arrival on land, before the healing is complete. Poorly healed penile wounds, and excessive vaginal abrasion caused by the implants, clearly increase the chances of STI transmission, including HIV.

While the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Indonesia's adult population is estimated 0.1 percent (www.unaids.org), in certain groups the rate is high, especially among injecting drug users (approximately 41 percent), their sexual partners (14 percent), and among transvestites/transsexuals (waria) (14 percent) (National AIDS Commission/KPA, 2006).

Among female sex workers in Bali, approximately one in 10 are estimated to have HIV (Bali AIDS Commission/KPAD, 2007). Many Indonesian fishermen also work on larger boats which dock at international ports where HIV infection rates among prostitutes are even higher, such as Thailand and South Africa.

Clearly the fishermen are at high risk of infection, and with their regular visits home to wives and girlfriends in Java and elsewhere, they form one potential bridge for STIs and HIV to Indonesia's general population, as do other clients of sex workers, such as truck drivers.

Yet despite serious high risk factors and the large number of fishermen in Indonesia, few efforts have so far been made to study and devise effective, accessible and acceptable intervention programs, which clearly need to take into account social, cultural, and economic contexts.

One thing that Made's research has shown clearly is that knowing about the dangers of HIV, and having access to condoms, is not enough to make someone safer, if their peer group, their social context or their cultural beliefs are not supportive.