Minister Susi Sinks 87 Ships Involved in Fish Theft in 2017
9 January 2018 16:56 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Maritime Affairs and Fishery Minister Susi Pudjiastuti has always shown assertiveness against illegal ships that are caught participating in fish theft on Indonesian waters since she took office in 2014.
Based on Tempo observation throughout 2017, Minister Susi had ordered the drowning of at least 87 illegal fishing boats.
Read: Minister Susi to Drown 100 Illegal Fishing Boats by Year End
Meanwhile, Navy Admiral Achmad Taufiqoerrochman said that the Indonesian Navy had sunk 70 illegal fishing boats in April 2017. The types of vessels varied from 70 gross tonnages (GT) until 120 GT vessels up.
“Some were sunk in Indonesia’s western regions, and also on Indonesia’s eastern regions,” said Achmad told Tempo March 17, 2017.
In October 2017, Minister Susi gave orders to once again sink 17 illegal fishing boats. Ten of them were drowned on the waters of Natuna, specifically at the southern part of the Lampa Strait Port, and seven boats at Tarempa.
“This proves that we will consistently monitor Indonesian waters for the nation’s future,” said Susi in one of our news pieces on October 31, 2017.
Data also shows that the task force responsible for the eradication of fishing theft (Satgas 115), which was led by Susi herself, had sunk 88 boats during the second half of 2017.
The decision of Minister Susi Pudjiastuti to sink illegal fishing boats was recently commented by Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan. He asked Susi to discontinue the activity in 2018, “that’s enough,” he said.
SYAFIUL HADI | DIKO OKTARA | M. JULNIS FIRMANSYAH