TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government has met with the owner of Caledonian Sky cruise ship that rammed into coral reefs in Raja Ampat, Papua. The two parties have agreed on several items to address the issue.
Both have agreed, among others, to launch a research on the coral reefs, said Arif Havas Oegroseno, the deputy for coordination in maritime sovereignty for the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs.
“A joint survey on the ground to determine the damage,” Arif told Tempo in a phone interview on Wednesday, March 15, 2017.
The Caledonia Sky cruise ship rammed into coral reefs in Raja Ampat at low tide on March 4. The ship captained by Skipper Keith Michael Taylor ran aground on its way to Bitung, North Sumatra. Skipper Keith appears to consult GPS and radar without taking into account the tides and its surrounding. The incident has left 13,533 square meters of reefs damaged. At least eight genera of coral were destroyed and shattered.
The government has held a coordinated meeting with the ship owner. Ship owner representatives and insurance agency will pay the damage caused by the incident.
A joint research between the two parties will be held on Friday, March 17. Each party will appoint an expert team. The government’s team, Arif said, will comprise of representatives of the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs, the Environment Ministry, the Marine and Fishery Ministry, University of Papua, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) and Bogor Agricultural University (IPB).
Arif said that the damage caused by the incident will be thoroughly calculated. Some factors to be taken into account are damaged coral reefs, affected fish, marine biota, the value of maritime tourism, damaged ecosystem and damages inflicted on the local economy.
MITRA TARIGAN
