Catch 22 for Cilicap's fishermen

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Cilacap | Wed, 12/24/2008 10:49 AM 

 

Fish auction facilities, under the commission of local cooperatives in Cilacap, Central Java, have failed to lure fishermen away from unofficial loan providers, known locally as juragan, despite the often unfair conditions placed on them.

 

The fishermen have continued to sell their catches directly to the juragan, who usually also own the boats.

 

As a result, fish auction facilities, which should have acted as fish trade centers, have become idle.

 

Leader of the Cilacap chapter of the Indonesian Fishermen's Association (HSNI), Atas Munandar, told The Jakarta Post that the fish trading method has been in place for generations and would be hard to abolish.

 

"The system has it's positive as well as negative sides," Atas said.

 

The positive, according to Atas, is that fishermen are able to easily obtain much needed loans from the juragan because of the casual nature of the lending, which relies on trust.

 

"However, on the negative side, fishermen never know the real price of their catches. They must follow what the boat owners say and accept any amount of earnings," Atas said.

 

Atas added that, because of this problem, poverty prevails among fishermen; 90 percent of the approximately 35,000 fishermen in Cilacap live in absolute poverty.

 

"The fishermen should sell their catch through the available fish auction houses, so they can establish clear price standards," Atas said.

 

He added however, that virtually all seven auction facilities in Cilacap lay dormant.

 

"But I don't blame the fishermen, because the auction facilities can not meet all the fishermen's needs, such as lending capital, so they have to rely on the unscrupulous middlemen.

 

"It's actually a classic problem, but the ones on the losing end are the fishermen. I've conveyed this matter to every relevant official up to the minister's level but have not achieved anything so far. The cooperatives set up by the Cilacap mayoralty are ineffective because they cannot meet the fishermen's needs," Atas said.

 

Fishermen say they can not do anything about the middlemen determining the fish prices.

 

"Actually, I'm sad because I never receive earnings according to what I've yielded. But what else can I do, I owe them debts," Marno, 29, a fisherman in Cilacap told the Post.

 

Marno, who works under a boat owner, said his catch is divided equally among crew members and the boat's owner, who then requires them to sell the catch to an appointed middlemen. "If I disobey him, I won't be allowed to use his boat again," Marno said.

 

Another fisherman Dimin, 40, opined that fishermen will never lead decent lives. "The ones who get rich are boat owners and middlemen. We, who toil under the scorching sun, will be poor eternally," he said, adding that fish auction facilities should have been able to buy fish from them at Rp 7,000 per kilogram, instead of the middlemen's maximum price of Rp 2,500 per kilogram.

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BNI gives $70m loan to Timah

The Jakarta Post, Tue, 12/23/2008 10:58 AM 

JAKARTA: State-run Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI), the nation's third largest lender, agreed Monday to channel US$70 million of standby loans to state mining company PT Timah to complete the building of 10 vessels currently being delayed by the state shipyard company PT PAL. 

"Currently PAL has about 10 delayed orders, each costing around $7 million to complete," Timah president director Wahid Usman said after signing the loan agreement. 

According to Wahid, Timah will benefit from helping the ailing PAL, as the company's subcontractor, because it wishes to learn more about vessel construction to improve the shipbuilding experience of its subsidiary PT Dok dan Perkapalan Airkantung (DAK). 

DAK provides dock services and vessel repairs, as well as producing small vessels for Timah. 

Under the deal with BNI, Timah is required to finish one vessel at a time before being able to withdraw the remaining loans. 

"The construction process will cost less than $70 million," said Usman. 

The shipbuilding project will also involve a deal between PAL and state-owned steel company PT Krakatau Steel, which will supply steel at a cheaper price to PAL. The Surabaya-based PAL will need around 14,000 tons of steel to finish the project. -- JP/(dis)

Crab-shelling housewives feel global pinch

Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam | Mon, 12/22/2008 11:06 AM 

 

For six years a dozen housewives have been gathering 'round a table on Bulang Kebam Island of the Riau Islands, but they're not there to gossip and play mah-jongg.

 

No, the table is this fishy smelling room is full of boiled crabs which they are patiently and diligently shelling.

 

The meat will be sent to an exporter before heading on to the United States, its final destination. The current financial crisis has also had an impact on these ladies' income, as crabmeat no longer fetches a good price.

 

The owner of the Batam municipality facility, Ita Karim, 40, told The Jakarta Post recently that before the crisis, the export price of a kilogram of crabmeat could reach Rp 160,000 (about US$14.50), but now it had dropped to Rp 100,000 per kg.

 

"The price has gradually dropped over the past month. Even though orders are still coming in, we don't know if we can survive. If it's no longer possible, I'll just have to close the shop," Ita said.

 

Ita and her husband have been buying seafood products, such as fish, crabs and shrimp, from the island's fishermen for dozens of years.

 

They began supplying crabmeat in 2002, when one of the Lampung-based exporters placed an order.

 

The exporter then opened a branch in Batam where he continued to purchase crabmeat but sent it to Lampung where it is packaged and sent on to the U.S.

 

"Crabs are boiled to a certain temperature, not too cooked nor too raw, so they're easy to peel," Ita said.

 

Local housewives are employed on a regular basis who are paid according to the amount of meat they shell. The fee for each kilogram of shelled meat was Rp 30,000 before, but has dropped to Rp 20,000 now due to its falling price.

 

The women then divide the total earnings equally among themselves, each earning at least Rp 100,000 daily.

 

According to Ita, from about 100 kg of crabs, only 40 kg of meat can be obtained.

 

A number of tools are needed to remove the meat, such as hammers and pliers. The shells are later gathered to make into fertilizer.

 

The workers are not allowed to use cosmetics because they can contaminate the meat. They are also asked to wear head covers during work.

 

"This business will close down if the global economic recession continues due to the lack of a domestic market for crabmeat," Ita said.

 

Ita is the only crab collector on Bulang Kebam Island. She said many similar businesses can be found all over Batam, but she is unclear of the exact number.

 

A mother of two who works at the facility, Warti, 35, voiced her concern over the drop in crabmeat prices overseas.

 

"My husband doesn't have a steady income, so we always rely on my earnings. If the orders stop and the business closes, I must find another job," Warti said.

 

Bulang Kebam Island, situated about 15 minutes from Batam Island, still lacks access to clean water, power and telephone connections.

 

It relies on a generator that operates from 6 p.m. until 11.00 p.m., and artesian wells as a clean water source.

People discover ocean by surfing the web

Dicky Christanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 12/22/2008 11:06 AM 

 

Good news for those who are passionate about the ocean and everything related to its underwater activities: The WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) has set aside more space for ocean aficionados to share their knowledge and concerns.

 

The website www.marinebuddies.org aims to gather people who are curious about life underwater.

 

"Hopefully this curiosity will grow into a sense of caring about the ocean and the life underneath. Thus we could finally do something to preserve the ecosystem," WWF Indonesia marine affairs communications and campaign coordinator Dewi Satriani told The Jakarta Post on Saturday on the sidelines of a gathering of members of the website.

 

She said that they were discussing various issues starting from identifying the country's new diving and fishing hotspots to questioning whether they should use aggressive campaigns to preserve the ocean.

 

"In the end the discussions will enrich our knowledge and, in some cases, could also trigger us to take some real action," said Des Safrizal, one of the site's mailing list members.

 

Safrizal, a photographer, said he received better information about interesting spots for photography from the mailing list than from popular tourism websites.

 

"From what I have learned, usually those popular websites have a commercial interest in offering a site. So they will end with offering some tourist package that comes with a high price," he said.

 

According to the WWF, there are currently 300 people from all walks of life registered for the website's mailing list.

 

"And from that figure, around 20 of them are active members, meaning that they not only read posted articles but also send many of their own," Aulia Rahman of the WWF said.

 

He said that feedback on the website so far had been useful.

 

"From the website we know that most of the members are still using their time to read various articles published on the web. So even though we still expect real action in the future, this already serves as good feedback for us," he said.

 

Indonesia is widely known for having within its waters the richest diversity of coral reef species and fish communities in the world. However, it is also known for being most careless when it comes to guarding and preserving it.

 

The WWF has recorded that Indonesia experiences losses worth US$3.8 billion each year from poaching and overfishing throughout the country.

 

"Preservation must be done while upholding law and regulations, and the website could be listed as one way to make people aware of the need to preserve the marine ecosystem," Aulia said.

Krakatau Steel sells 14,000 tons of steel to national ship builder

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 12/22/2008 5:34 PM  

State-owned steel company PT Krakatau Steel has agreed to supply 14,000 tons of steel to state-owned ship builder PT PAL for the construction of two ships, Antara news agency reported Monday. 

The supply agreement was signed in Jakarta on Monday at the State Enterprises Ministry. 

PAL President Director Harsusanto said the company has received an order from Germany to build two 50,000 deadweight tons (DWT) ships to be completed next year. 

He, however, did not reveal the value of the steel procurement agreement. The price of steel is still fluctuating in the market; Antara recorded steel had been traded at US$600 per ton on Monday. 

Harsusanto said PAL had pending orders to construct 16 ships, ranging form 22,000 to 50,000 DWT, to be completed by the end of 2012. He said each ship would require between 7,000 and 8,000 tons of steel. 

Separately,  Krakatau Steel Marketing Director Irvan Hakim said the company was ready to allocate 25,000 tons of steel, out of an annual production of 360,000, for PAL contracts. 

"Our cooperation with PAL has been running for a long time and the company will continue to be a strategic partner for us," he said. (dre)

Cilacap fishermen live with waves of luck and uncertainty

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Cilacap, Central Java | Fri, 12/19/2008 11:42 AM | Java Brew

 

Cilacap fishermen return home from fishing to dock at the banks of the Donan river. (JP/Agus Maryono)

 

"A fisherman's life is very uncertain. If he can get a big catch, he'll be happy, but often he returns home empty-handed," said 35-year-old Maspin, a fisherman living in the Donan subdistrict of Cilacap regency on the southern coast of Central Java.

 

"A farmer can always estimate his yield during harvest time, but a fisherman depends on his luck," Maspin said.

 

There are about 34,000 fishermen in the regency whose lives depend on the unpredictable sea. Maspin became a fisherman 20 years ago and, over the past two decades, nothing much has changed, nearly all fishermen in Cilacap continue to live in poverty.

 

"The most important thing for a fisherman is to survive on a day-to-day basis, he must avoid borrowing money, even in hard times. Being debtless is something we are proud of," he said.

 

Fishermen begin their 12 hour work day at 4 a.m.

 

"But it all depends on what kind of boat you use," Maspin explained.

 

"Some of us who use bigger vessels, can stay in the sea for three days. Others who have even larger tuna fishing vessels can be away for 14 days at a time," he added.

 

Not all fishermen have their own boats though, as it is expensive to buy them.

 

"A brand new boat costs about Rp 10 million (US$900), so most fishermen here can only afford to rent. Others prefer to divide their catch with the boat owners on a profit-sharing basis," Lasmin, a 43-year-old said.

 

The "peak season" for fishermen is between August and November. However, Lasmin added, there is still an element of luck even then, as fishermen can still return home empty-handed.

 

"When we don't get a lot of fish, we usually try to catch shrimp."

 

"If we are lucky, we can catch between 100 and 200 kilograms of fish and shrimp," he added.

 

Once they return from the sea, fishermen take their boats directly to one of Cilacap's seven fish auction site to sell their catch.

 

 There, they will unload their fish, stored in a drum. (JP/Agus Maryono)

 

 

"If we are lucky, we can make up to Rp 2 million for one catch," Lasmin said, adding, "or, nothing at all when we are run of luck".

 

When they do manage to net a big catch, fishermen usually buy gold jewelry or electronic goods, which they can resell later, when times are hard.

 

But there is a worrying phenomenon now as some young fishermen use their money to get drunk on the beach. "Most of them are still bachelors," Lasmin said.

 

Head of the Indonesian Association of Fishermen's (HNSI) Cilacap branch, Atas Munandar, said that over 90 percent of the 34,000 fishermen are poor.

 

He said they are powerless as they have to sell their fish to middlemen, often at a loss.

 

"It's really complicated. Nearly all fishermen take high interest loans from boat owners. They pay back their debts with their fish, but the price is set by the boat owners," he explained.

 

He added that the Cilacap administration has tried to overcome the problem by setting up cooperatives to handle fishermen's need for cash. However, the scheme didn't work well. To be able to lend from the cooperatives, a fishermen has to meet requirements they find difficult to fulfill.

 

Atas said the cooperatives has established the fish auction sites to ensure a fixed price is set.

 

"Since the fishermen have borrowed money from boat owners, they can't get away with going to the auction sites. They are forced to sell their fish to the boat owners and therefore, the auction sites have not been used," he said.

 

Despite the efforts, there is no end in sight for the fisherman's hard times and their future looks to remain as wild as the seas they work in.

The friendly Sunset Gecko at Gili Meno

Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Gili Meno, Lombok | Sun, 12/21/2008 10:50 AM  

The turquoise-colored water on the shore of white sand beach at Gili Meno, backdropped by the vast blue sky. (JP/Prodita Sabarini) 

Frolicking on the beach of a small secluded island might be the holiday dream of most work-drenched men and women. 

Away from the noisy, clogged and polluted city streets, one can warm their tired feet on sun-baked sand, swim above coral reefs and laze in a bale bengong (stilted open-air wooden hut) with a good book while feeling the delicious sea breeze against their skin. Looking up, instead of a hazy gray sky, one can see the blue of the sky during the day or the twinkling stars at night. 

It is definitely my kind of holiday. 

So, when I had the chance to escape the capital, I grabbed it and without hesitation I headed to Lombok's Gili Meno. 

Some 30 kilometers east of the tourist island of Bali, Gili Meno is the smallest of the three small sand islands northwest of Lombok, in West Nusa Tenggara. 

The bigger Gili Trawangan is more famous and has been dubbed the party island by visitors for its lively night life. Gili Air is the biggest and most populated. 

All three islands have no motor vehicles roaming the streets. Horse drawn carts called Cidomo and bicycles are the only means of transportation around. 

My companion and I took the night flight from Jakarta to Bali on a Friday night and continued to Trawangan on a fast boat, Saturday morning. From there, we hopped on a chartered boat and arrived at Meno around 11 a.m.

 

 A boat towed on the white sand beach shore. (JP/Prodita Sabarini)

When we arrived, little did we know that apart from the expected relaxation time in that tranquil spot, we would be inspired by our environmentally conscious host. 

Based on a friend's recommendation, we looked for a place called Sunset Gecko. Our boatman pointed out the resort, which had no signboard but a big, wooden gecko on the wall of the dining place. 

Situated on the beach, the resort has a number of small cottages and a main building for dining and the kitchen. The small resort boasts a beautiful garden, with blossoming plants and banana trees. Four comfy bale bengong look over the sea and Gili Trawangan with its tall telecommunications tower. 

A Japanese man in his early 40s Hiro Tanaka, who we later found out was the owner of the place, greeted us. After we checked in, we made ourselves comfortable in the shady huts looking out to the sea. 

Always intrigued by cool Japanese people, we speculated about Tanaka's story. Looking at the beautiful and tidy resort, I guessed he had a degree in hotel management. My travel partner disagreed, guessing that Tanaka was a well-traveled and highly educated person, who for one reason or another decided to open a resort in a small island in Indonesia.

 

 A two-story wooden house if Sunset Gecko. (JP/Prodita Sabarini)

The latter guess was closer to the truth. In one conversation, I found out that he was one of the few idealists who wanted to save the earth, but was obstructed by the politics of the world. 

Tanaka is a businessman who set up an alternative energy conversion company with his business partner in Canada. Their product was a patented pyrolysis machine that can transform plastic waste into its former form: oil. 

After two years of lobbying city administrations to use the technology without giving money under table, he decided to quit and start making change on a smaller scale. 

He grew up in the arid desert of Quwait, while his father worked for a Japanese oil company, Tanaka says that he always dreamed of having a place to share with people. 

Three years ago, with friends from different parts of the world, he opened Sunset Gecko, which adheres to eco-friendly practices. 

More than often, tourists looking for unspoiled nature to escape the city's pollution end up damaging the environment of their holiday destination. Beautiful spots in Bali have become testament of this, with overdevelopment resulting in beach erosion.

 

 Stilted open art wooden huts are the perfect spots to enjoy the beach. (JP/Prodita Sabarini)

Tanaka witnessed environmental degradation in Northern Thailand, when six years ago he visited a pristine beach with only two hotels. Three years later, 30 new ones have mushroomed, with mounting piles of garbage. 

He says that as he got older he realized that he was part of the problem as he too created garbage. "We always say 'this shouldn't be like this. Oh, you shouldn't burn the plastics' dadadada. 

"But when you become an adult, you start to think 'Hey, whose responsibility is this?'. It's easy to say (for an example), *This is the Balinese government's problem'. But then the government doesn't do (anything) and we just keep doing the same troublesome things," he says. 

"We just keep messing, creating more garbage, buying chocolate (and throwing away the wrappers), smoking cigarettes and throwing the ash on the street. No, it shouldn't be like this," he says. 

So, he opened Sunset Gecko with the hope that he can make a difference. 

The resort recycles the water from the dishwashing, laundry, and showers to water the plants. Hiro says that they used a three-step filtration system he learned from reading books and internet sites. He mixed the organic solid residue and organic waste from the kitchen to make compost. 

Sunset gecko also makes natural soap in the kitchen. This too he learned from books and the internet. He uses palm and coconut oils for the soap and leaves it to harden as soap bars for six weeks. The soap was one of the highlights of the resort for me. It didn't leave the skin dry and was even great when I used it to wash my hair. 

Apparently, the news of the natural soap from Sunset Gecko has traveled around. Two Japanese women that stayed at Gili Trawangan traveled to Gili Meno to purchase the soap. 

Tanaka says that it was not for sale as it was for guests to use. Eventually, the women left with two soap bars each.

 

 Blossoming plants next to a wooden hut on the beach. (JP/Prodita Sabarini)

Another impressive part of Gecko was the beautiful garden, with various plants. Hiro says that once local island residents came to the resort and marveled at the banana trees. 

"They were really surprised. *A banana tree on the beach? How come?' they asked. I told them that we make compost for the soil and villagers have started to copy that," Tanaka says. 

In Gili Meno, where fresh water is shipped from Lombok, eco-friendly practices are not an option. It is a necessity. 

While Sunset Gecko is alive and kicking, walking around Gili Meno I found a number of accommodations seemed to be out of business. I passed an abandoned desolate place with an overturned table which seemed to had been a restaurant. Another resort looked closed an empty. 

Sunset Gecko has a friendly atmosphere with guests greeting each other and sharing their latest experience in the water. Just dipping to waters in front of the beach of the resort will lead you to nice coral reef and sightings of beautiful sea creatures. 

Sea turtles with their ancient look swim around the sea. One guests says that he went snorkeling and saw a Manta ray. 

As the sun sets, the sky turns into a purplish color. Guests would hang around the open air dining room with drinks chatting, while sounds of geckos joining the chatter. 

As the night grows late, the sight of Trawangan with its colorful lights looked like a big ship. A staff commented that it looked like the Titanic ship. 

The best part was lying in a wooden beach chair and looking up to the sky. The stars twinkling and I started to fall asleep. 

On the Net:  www.thesunsetgecko.com

Finance minister calls for help to fight port mafia

The Jakarta Post | Sun, 12/21/2008 4:08 PM 

 

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani called on local business people on Sunday that they helped her ministry in fighting what she termed as "port mafia".

 

"Currently, I'm fixing our port, including the reform at the customs office. If all of you, gentlemen, find our officers asking for money, please don't pay," Sri Mulyani told members of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) on Sunday.

 

She said that Kadin should help the government in rooting out the port mafia to protect domestic industry.

 

"We need to make the port mafia as the enemy of Kadin and the government. Kadin has to help the government because if illegal goods enter the country, they will be in direct competition with you," she said.

 

Earlier, Kadin chairman MS Hidayat suggested that the government protect domestic market by imposing restrictions on imports, especially on products that could be produced domestically.

 

"Strengthening domestic market should be number one priority. All imports whose substitutions could be produced domestically must be restricted or even stopped, of course with regulations," Hidayat said.

Chinese Deputy PM to observe Suramadu bridge project

Surabaya, East Java (ANTARA News) - Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Li Keqiang during a visit to East Java is on Sunday (Dec 21) scheduled to observe the Suramadu bridge project which is to connect Madura island with mainland Java, a project official said. 

The project`s chief officer, Atyanto Busono, said here on Friday the Chinese deputy prime minister would observe the construction of the middle section of the bridge from a ferry boat which he would board at Surabaya`s Tanjung Perak seaport. The Chinese deputy prime minister would be accompanied by executive directors of China`s Exim Bank and East Java Governor Setya Purwaka. 

"The Chinese deputy prime minister will made the visit as part of China`s commitment to disbursing the second tranche of its loan to finance the building of the middle section of the bridge project," Busono said. 

He said the second tranche of the loan through China`s Exim Bank totaled US$68.93 million. 

"The bank also provided a first stage loan of US$160.2 million for the construction of the bridge in 2004-2005. This first phase loan has been used up," Busono said. 

He said the second phase loans was to be disbursed in October 2008 but due to the global financial crisis, the disbursement was delayed. 

"With the delay in disbursement of the Chinese loan, Bank Jatim has disbursed Rp50 billion for the project so that the work would not be interrupted while waiting for the disbursement of the Chinese loan," he added. 

Up to early this month, about 88.46 percent of the construction work on the bridge has been completed. Of the progress, about 99.80 percent of the causeway construction on the Surabaya side has been completed and 99.80 percent on the Madura side had been finished. 

The bridge, named Suramadu (acronym for Surabaya-Madura), would connect East Java`s provincial capital of Surabaya with Madura island.

HO HO HO!

The Jakarta Post, Fri, 12/19/2008 6:15 PM  |  Jakarta 

 

A diver in Santa Claus costume rides a bicycle inside a shark tank at the Sea World in North Jakarta on Friday. (AP/Achmad Ibrahim)

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Somali Pirates Attack Indonesian Boat

Thursday, 18 December, 2008 | 18:24 WIB

 

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: A group of Somali pirates attacked an Indonesian tugboat yesterday off the Yemeni coast. The group also held 11 of the boat crew – mostly Indonesian nationals - as hostages.

 

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah said the Foreign Affairs Department had asked the Indonesian Embassy in Yemen for confirmation regarding the attack.

 

“There are two versions of the story. One report claimed said the boat carried a French flag. The other said it was Malaysian,” Teuku Faizasyah told Tempo.

 

According to Faizasyah, Indonesian officials in Yemen confirmed the attack by pirates over Yemeni waters, but the boat concerned carried a Malaysian flag. The Foreign Affairs Department, he said, will prepare immediate steps to take once the investigation is completed. “We will immediately contact the boat owner and the local government or security authorities,” Faizasyah said.

 

The French wire-service news system AFP, reported that the pirated tugboat carried a Malaysian flag, which was ambushed at the same time as a Turkish cargo container.

 

According to Noel Choong, chief of International Maritime Bureau, a sea-piracy reporting center based in Kuala Lumpur, the pirates who were armed with rocket grenades and automatic weapons attacked the Malaysian tugboat last Tuesday. The boat carrying 11 crew was en route to Malaysia from the Middle East.

 

Meanwhile, the US News wire-service, AP, did not confirm which flag the tugboat was carrying. It only quoted the comment by an officer at Total SA in Yemen, a French oil company that rented the tugboat, that the boat was carrying an Indonesian crew as well as citizens from other countries.

 

A Total spokesman in Paris, Kevin Church, also confirmed the sea pirate attack, however he stressed that the tugboat did not belong to Total.

 

REH ATEMALEM SUSANTI | AFP | AP | IWANK

Hundreds of Tsunami Scientists Meet in Aceh

Thursday, 18 December, 2008 | 18:26 WIB

 

TEMPO Interactive, Banda Aceh:Around 200 experts, policy makers, tsunami scientists, and disaster management experts from a number of countries attended an international workshop on tsunami management at the Syiah Kuala University, in Banda Aceh, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, which began yesterday and end tomorrow.

 

According to the workshop steering committee member, T. Alvisyahrin, the event was held to study the tsunami disaster which took place in Aceh and some other countries around the Indian Ocean four years ago. “We hope the workshop can improve efforts to reduce disaster risks in disaster-prone countries,” he said.

 

ADI WARSIDI

Potential disasters looming as bad weather brews, agency warns

Indra Harsaputra and Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya, Malang | Wed, 12/17/2008 11:05 AM 

 

With the rainy season now underway, bringing with it intensified downpours, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) is warning of the increased risk of floods, landslides and strong winds over the next few days.

 

Rofiq Isa Mansur, a weather analyst at the BMG office at Surabaya's Juanda International Airport, said airlines and shipping companies in the regions had been cautioned about bad weather in Kalimantan and Sulawesi islands and parts of East Java, Bali and West Nusa Tenggara.

 

He also blamed poor weather conditions for the temporary closure of the airport between 4:45 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. Tuesday.

 

"All ships sailing into Kalimantan and Sulawesi waters should stay alert for strong winds and high waves because wind speeds will be between 120 and 200 kilometers per hour," he said.

 

In East Java and the Java Sea, continuous rain coupled with strong winds are expected, fed by Typhoon Dolphin churning over Philippine waters, eventually sweeping into the waters off Kalimantan, Sulawesi and East Java.

 

Rofiq added downpours in several provinces would be of low or moderate intensity, with rainfall of up to a centimeter per hour. Heavier rains are expected to peak in mid-January.

 

"Despite low and moderate rain intensity, big cities such as Surabaya, Malang and Kediri are prone to floods and landslides because of their deforested cityscapes and poor drainage and irrigation systems," he said

 

"Surabaya, Malang, Trenggalek and Ponorogo will also be prone to high winds that could damage homes in these areas."

 

Antoyo Setyapratikto, a BMG analyst in Karangploso, Malang, warned local residents of the risk of floods and landslides in the mountainous regency over the next few weeks, compounded by a typhoon and global warming.

 

"This condition will reach its peak in January with heavy rainfall and high winds," he said.

 

Typhoon Sifon, forming in the sea between Java Island and Australia, will add to the high rainfall intensity and wind speed in Java and the southeastern part of the archipelago, Antoyo added.

 

Malang Mayor Peni Suparto and other officials are currently touring areas prone to landslides and floods, and calling on residents to remain alert ahead of disasters this rainy season.

 

The Navy's Eastern Fleet has set up search and rescue teams and prepared dozens of inflatable boats in critical areas in the province, in anticipation of floods.

 

"We have an SAR team consisting of marines and evacuation equipment," said fleet spokesman Lt. Col. Tony Syaiful.

 

"We needed 60 inflatable boats and marine personnel to evacuate flood victims in Bojonegoro last December."

 

Investors reluctant to use Tanjung Wangi seaport

The Jakarta Post, Banyuwangi | Wed, 12/17/2008 11:08 AM  |  East Java

Investors in the Banyuwangi province in East Java have been reluctant to use Tanjung Wangi as an alternative seaport for exports and imports despite a efforts by the government to promote the port.

 

Chairman of the East Java provincial branch of Indonesian Trade and Commerce (Kadin) Erlangga said the absence of reliable, fixed schedules for cargo ships and generally poor service at the seaport did not assure traders that their goods would be handled properly and efficiently.

 

"It is relatively more efficient and quicker for investors in Probolinggo, Jember, Lumajang, Situbondo and Banyuwangi to import goods and export products through Tanjungperak seaport, even though they have to pay additional costs. The traffic through that area was disturbed by the Lapindo mudflow," Erlangga said.

 

"Exporters want their goods to be shipped smoothly and handled correctly," he told The Jakarta Post in Banyuwangi on Tuesday.

 

Erlangga said he understood that cargo vessels had irregular schedules at the new seaport because investors and port authorities had offered no guarantees on the amount of goods to be shipped through the port.

 

The government and state-owned PT Pelabuhan III had to invest more in adequate equipment and facilities, he said, including a standard container terminal and a one-roof service to ensure the proper management of the port.

 

The seaport, constructed in June 2003, had not functioned optimally since the arrival of foreign and local vessels supplying goods to the region and Bali.

 

The administrator of the Tanjung Wangi port Bambang Setyo Utomo said he had identified a number of problems which were deterring investors and shipping companies from using the seaport.

 

"We have identified at least five main factors which have hindered Tanjung Wangi from developing into an alternative seaport. They are the seaport's limited capacity, the absence of a one-roof service for export and import documentation, taxes and excises, limited facilities at the container terminal and limited access to security and legal certainties," he said.

 

Bambang said the loading and unloading facilities at the container terminal included two each stackers capable of moving 40 tons of material, one forklift, four head trucks, two container slings and a heavy-equipment crane.

 

He said the seaport could function if all stakeholders, especially Pelabuhan III, shipping companies and exporters and investors, were ready to enhance cooperation and develop the seaport according to international standards.