Oil slick concern after ships collide outside Mumbai

RNW, 9 August 2010 - 8:06am

The Indian coastguard was on Monday trying to contain oil from a badly-listing container ship that collided with another vessel close to the city of Mumbai, a defence ministry spokesman said.

Six coastguard ships were working to minimise the impact of the spill from the Panamanian-registered MSC Chitra, while a coastguard helicopter dropped oil-dispersal spray on the slick, Captain M. Nambiar told AFP.

Environmental emergency teams have been put on alert to mobilise for a clean-up operation should the oil reach land, while fishermen have been told not to put to sea until the all-clear has been given.

The vessel, which was five nautical miles from shore when the accident occurred on Saturday, has listed dangerously to its port side. Some 200 containers have fallen from the ship and are being collected.

Nambiar described the ship's position as "precarious", adding: "It's difficult to get on board to locate the point of leakage."

Oil had spread around the ship and could be carried further depending on the tide and current.

Broken patches of oil have been cleared around Elephanta Island, a World Heritage Site and tourist attraction in Mumbai Harbour, the defence ministry said in a statement on Sunday evening.

The MSC Chitra was leaving Mumbai when it was in a collision with the MV Khalijia-II, another Panamanian-registered ship, which was manoeuvring into port.

Thirty-three crew members were rescued. Both ships developed cracks following the collision.

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Indonesian sail ship with Indian motifs leaves Kochi

The Hindu, S. ANANDAN

Indonesian Navy's sail training ship KRI Dewaruci in Kochi.

Photo: Special Arrangement

KRI Dewaruci, a sail training ship of Indonesian Navy with very Indian mythological motifs, left the port here on Tuesday for Salalah in Oman after a three-day goodwill visit.

The vessel, on its 37th voyage — Kartika Jala Krida 2010— lasting about nine months, will call at over 30 ports in 21 countries, mostly European, where it will partake in tall ship races. Its chief mission, however, is to impart training to Indonesian Naval Academy cadets in navigation, meteorology, keeping watch and survival at sea.

Having set sail for the current voyage with a crew of 81, including 16 officers, besides 68 cadets during the second week of March from its homeport at Surabaya, the ship docked at Sabang in Western Indonesia before calling at Kochi on Saturday. During the visit, Colonel I Putu Arya Angga S, Indonesia’s Defence Attache in India, along with Lieutenant Colonel S.H. Suharto, Commanding Officer of the ship, called on Rear Admiral S.S. Jamwal, Chief of Staff of the Southern Naval Command.

Post-sunset on Monday, at a reception accorded to Indian Navy personnel and a select group of media persons aboard the Dewaruci (seemingly an adaptation of the Sanskrit Devarshi, Guru of the Gods)—named after the God of honesty and bravery — the sailors of the ship showcased a slice of Indonesian culture. The vessel, as the cultural ambassador of Indonesia, has its masts christened after the great Pandavas of the Mahabharata: ‘Yudhistira’, ‘Bima’ and ‘Arjuna’, indicative of the influence Indian legends and myths have had in shaping Java’s philosophy.

Dewaruci was built in 1952 and commissioned the very next year. On Monday, the grand dame’s sailors doubled up as artistes presenting Rantak dance, a traditional martial art-based dance from West Sumatra; War dance, about the story of a warrior from Papua; Badinding dance, which is a show of hospitality; and Rampak Gendang, a traditional percussion ensemble. What stole the show, however, was the most wonderful and bewitching Seni Reog Ponorogo, an East Javanese ethnic dance akin to north-Kerala’s Theyyam. It depicts a mythological, headgear-wearing-beast-in-trance casting off the evil forces in combat.

After the cultural show, Rear Admiral Jamwal congratulated the Indonesian sailors and recalled the historical association India had had with Indonesia.

“During the current voyage, Dewaruci will partake in the historical seas tall ships regatta in Turkey and Greece, the tall ships race 2010 in Aalborg in Denmark, the sail festival Amsterdam in Netherlands, the sail festival Bremenhaven in Germany and the ‘festival internationale Mediterraneo e Velieri in Italy. Besides India, it will visit countries like Oman, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Tunisia, Nigeria, Spain, France, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, Cyprus, and Sri Lanka,” said Lt Col Suharto.

Talking to The Hindu on ‘Ind-Indo Corpat’, Col Angga termed the coordinated patrol carried out by the Indian and Indonesian Navies along the International Maritime Boundary Line a grand success.

KRI Dewaruci

Indonesia Admits People-Smuggling Role

Jakata Globe, February 07, 2010

Government officials have acknowledged that Indonesian citizens are continuing to play a role in smuggling people to Australia.

On Sunday, Teguh Wardoyo, a director at a Foreign Affairs Ministry unit tasked with protecting the nation’s citizens overseas, admitted that many Indonesians were still involved in people smuggling, in particular to the country’s southern neighbor.

The admission follows the charging by an Australian court on Friday of an Indonesian for allegedly smuggling people into the country.

According to a statement released by the Australian Federal Police, the man faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail and/or a fine of 220,000 Australian dollars ($109,036).

“The AFP charged the man with one count of facilitating the bringing of non-citizens into Australia” of five or more people, the statement said.

Teguh said that the ministry had been assisting the man in the Western Australian city of Perth, but said they could not interfere with the ongoing legal process the man was facing.

“We have to respect the legal process in Australia,” he said.

The man was detained on Nov. 14 last year when the vessel he was on was blocked by a Royal Australian Navy patrol boat operating under the control of the Customs and Border Protection Command, southwest of Ashmore Reef.

Over the past three years, Australian patrol boats have stopped at least seven boats filled with asylum seekers. The latest was carrying 181 passengers and four crew members.

As in previous cases, the passengers of the captured boats were transported to Australian Immigration’s detention center on Christmas Island where they underwent security, identity and health checks, as well as interviews to establish their reasons for wanting to enter Australia.

The Indonesian Consulate in Perth said the boats bringing asylum seekers to Australia were often captained and manned by Indonesians.

According to its Web site, AFP has charged 94 people, including a number of Indonesians, for human trafficking offenses since September 2008.

An Australian Embassy spokeswoman said Australian Ambassador for People Smuggling Peter Woolcott had visited Jakarta last week in an effort to increase cooperation between the two countries in tackling the problems of human trafficking.

The spokeswoman said that during the visit, Woolcott met with the Foreign Affairs Ministry and immigration officials, as well as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the International Organization for Migration. 

JG, Antara

Indian seafood exports need validation that fish catch is legal

Antara News, Friday, January 1, 2010 15:58 WIB

New Delhi (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Indian seafood exports to the European Union now require certificates validating that the fish catch is not illegal and unregulated.

The validation would be required for fish, shrimp, squid, cuttlefish and octopus, the Marine Exports Product Development Authority (MPEDA), which would issue the certificates, said.

This is being done in line with a new EU rule that aims at regulating the world fisheries sector and discouraging illegal fishing. India exports seafood worth Rs 2,800 crore (US$603.5 million) to the 27-nation EU market, accounting for one-third of the country's total marine products overseas consignments.

Source:
Business in Asia Today - Jan 1, 2010
published by Asia Pulse

RI warships to be equipped with Chinese-made missiles

Antara News, Monday, December 21, 2009 18:45 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Navy`s warships will be equipped with missiles made in China, Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Agus Suhartono said here on Monday.

"We will continue to procure C-802 missiles from China after we tested the weapon with good results,` he said adding that the Indonesian Navy was also negotiating with China to obtain C-705 missiles that were more slender in shape.

"Both types of missile will be added to the armament of of the navy`s fast patrol boats and Van Speijk warships," Agus said.

He said the navy would increase the combat capabilities of its Van Speijk and fast patrol boats by integrating their armament systems with weaponry from China.

"We are still unable to make missiles domestically. But fortunately, state shipbuilding firm PT PAL already has the technology to integrate weapon systems imported from abroad with those already in place on our warships," he said.

The navy chief admitted with limited budget for his department, his officials would continue making a priority scale on the procurement of weaponry system.

"Our main priority now is security in sea border areas and the outer islands of Indonesia," he said adding that the navy would also replace some 27 of its warships with newer types and better combat capabilities.

Agus Suhartono had previously said Indonesia`s western waters were prone to various maritime crimes such as smuggling, human trafficking and poaching.

"The sea crimes are not the only problems we have in the western waters. In these areas we also have border problems with India, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia," the navy chief said.

He said that in order to maintain security in the area, the navy conducted routine patrols in the Indonesian western waters. It had maintained a joint patrols with its counterparts from India, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

As a result, the maritime crime rate in the western waters had dropped , particularly in the Malacca Strait.

India to 'fence' naval harbours

BBC News, Delhi, By Sunil Raman

Mumbai's police have acquired new craft to patrol the city's coastline

India is planning to secure its naval harbours with electronic fences, the BBC has learnt.

The fences are part of the Integrated Harbour Defence System to secure the harbours "against clandestine threat from sea", security officials say.

It is part of a plan to protect the country's coastline after November 2008's deadly attacks in Mumbai.

Ten gunmen had used boats to sail into Mumbai and carried out the attacks which killed over 170 people.

The Integrated Harbour Defence System will have diver detection sonars, high resolution radars with shore-based command and control system, among other things, officials said.

Radars will also be installed at distances of every 80km (50 miles) on the coastline.

The sonars and radars will pick up any movement near the harbour up to a distance of 70km (43 miles).

'Not enough'

The electronic sea fences will be fixed on the sea bed close to a harbour to stop any diver or a boat from swimming or sailing through.

Only when a warship or a boat enters or leaves the naval harbour would the "electronic net" will be lifted for the ship to sail through.

Officials say India is also ordering sophisticated equipment to secure its 7,500km (4,660 miles) coastline dotted with nearly 200 ports.

The government plans to install transponders on every fishing vessel and trawler that sails into the high seas, officials say.

Mumbai alone has over 24,000 fishing vehicles, and Gujarat another 45,000 vehicles.

An Indian fishing vessel was hijacked in the seas off Gujarat by the gunmen who attacked Mumbai.

Former Indian intelligence chief Arun Bhagat is, however, sceptical about the measures to secure the coastline.

"The urgency which should have propelled state governments after the Mumbai attacks did not last long," Mr Bhagat said.

"Except for some states like Maharashtra and Gujarat, other coastal states have done little".

India, Indonesia take up coordinated patrolling of Malacca Straits from Oct 18

By M Rama Rao - India Editor, Asian Tribune, New Delhi, 18 October,

India will join Indonesia on October 18 to undertake ‘coordinated’ patrolling of Malacca Straits. India is not new to the exercise and what begins on Sunday is the ‘14th cycle’ of cooperation between the two navies.

Code-named ‘Ind-Indo Corpat’, the patrolling of one of the most piracy prone seaways will continue till Nov 5.

Both countries share an International Maritime Boundary of about 300 nautical miles.

In a coordinated patrolling, the two sides remain inside their maritime boundaries but remain constantly touch and keep each other updated on the movements and the situation in the sea.

Such patrolling seeks to prevent piracy, armed robberies, poaching, illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and other illegal activities.

Tactical command of the operation will be headed by Naval Officer-in-Charge (Andaman & Nicobar) on the Indian side and Commander of Sea Security Group of Western Fleet (located at Tanjung Pinang) on the Indonesian side.

The overall control will rest with Vice Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi, Commander-in-Chief of Andaman Nicobar Command (CINCAN) and Commander of Indonesian Western Fleet Command (PANGARMABAR), officials said here

The Indian Navy is deploying one Landing Ship Tank (Medium), INS Mahish, under the command of Cdr MVR Krishna and one Fast Attack Craft, INS Trinkat, under the command of Lt Cdr Pushkar Kumar. In addition there will be one Indian Naval Dornier.

The Indonesian Navy is deploying one corvette and a Dornier aircraft.

Operation CORPAT will get underway with an opening ceremony at Belawan, Indonesia; the Naval Officer-in-Charge (Andaman & Nicobar) Cmde P Suresh, will lead the Indian delegation. The closing ceremony will be conducted on 04 Nov 09 at Port Blair.

India is also closing ranks with Maldives to protect their maritime boundary. A Dornier maritime patrol aircraft will be deployed in the Maldives as part of the security assistance.

New Delhi has agreed to help Male to secure its waters from pirates and threat from terror groups.

IOTC drops plans to limit tuna fishing

Ika Krismantari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 04/06/2009 2:59 PM

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) concluded its 13th annual meeting last week with a deal to drop a plan limiting fishing capacity, following opposition from key member countries, including Indonesia.

Indonesian delegation head Suseno Sukoyono told The Jakarta Post on Sunday the commission had decided to review the plan as members from developing countries believed it would destroy their fishing in-dustries, saying limiting catches would give little room for the industry to grow.

Suseno also said Indonesia, whose fishing industry is comprises mostly traditional fishermen, opposed the plan because it would "endanger the livelihood" of the small businesses.

"It would be detrimental should the commission apply the policy; we would be severely affected," he said.

IOTC executive secretary Alexandro Anganuzzi said during the opening of the meeting that the commission would discuss the limitation of fishing capacity with its member countries.

He added the commission had been concerned with the fact that tuna feedstock in the region was being overfished.

However, as the meeting progressed, the plan, initiated by the European Union, was strongly opposed by other countries, including Australia, which is also worried about disruptions to its fishing industry.

Australia is the IOTC member with the biggest exposure in the Indian Ocean.

Other opposing countries included Oman, Mauritius and India.

Besides delaying the catch limit policy, the meeting also agreed to postpone a plan to limit fishing fleets, as data and proposal from member countries remained incomplete.

Suseno also said it had been agreed during the meeting to retain Anganuzzi as the commission's executive director for the next three years.

"It's our strategy to protect the interests of developing countries, as Anganuzzi represents the FAO *Food and Agricultural Organization*," he said.

The IOTC is an intergovernmental organization under the auspices of the FAO. It has 28 members, including Australia, the UK, Japan and the EU representing the interests of developed UN member states, while Indonesia, Iran and India are among those representing developing ones.

Previously, there was also a proposal to discuss the possibility of the IOTC being separated from the FAO.

However, the proposal was dropped due to opposition from developing countries, Suseno said.

Indonesian representative Nilanto Prabowo said a separation from the FAO might lead to increased control of the organization by developed nations.

The IOTC manages tuna and tuna-like species in the Indian Ocean and adjoining seas, with the main objective of promoting both cooperation among members and the sustainability of tuna resources.

Indonesia is the 27th member of the IOTC.

According to the commission, the region produces more than 1 million tons of tuna annually, worth between US$3 billion and $5 billion.

Indonesia, India to intensify security precautions in Andaman Waters

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia and India will intensify security in Andaman`s territorial waters in anticipation of security disturbances in the region.

Spokesman for the Military (TNI) headquarters in Jakarta Rear Marshal Sagom Tamboen said here on Thursday that by doing so, all kinds of threats including those posed by the entry of Tamil Tiger rebels into Indonesia could be prevented.

"Till now, the security situation in the Andaman sea is still conducive, as no Tamil tiger rebels had entered Indonesia thanks to regular joint patrols in the waters," he said.

Code-named Indindocorpat, the joint patrol was held twice a year under a protocol signed by the navies of the two countries.

The first Indindocorpat was held in September 2002 and at least nine joint patrols had been conducted by the two countries.

According to the two sides, the patrol was proven to have benefited the two countries in dealing with piracy, smuggling, territorial transgression and inter-state crime in the Andaman sea.

Earlier, Indonesia pledged to the Sri Lankan government that its territory would not be used by Tamil tiger rebels.

The guaranty was conveyed by Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda during his visit to Sri Lanka on March 29-30, 2009.

A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, Teuku Faizasyah during a meeting in Grosvenor House of JW Marriot Hotel in London on Tuesday said that so far there was no precedence or report on activities of Tamil tigers in Indonesia.

However, the Sri Lankan government asked Indonesia to prevent the Tamil tiger fighters to enter its territory for military training purposes.

RI against IOTC plan to separate from FAO

Ika Krismantari, THE JAKARTA POST, BALI | Wed, 04/01/2009 12:10 PM

Indonesia is against a plan from the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) to separate from the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN.

Indonesia’s representative at the 13th annual meeting of the IOTC currently underway in Bali, Nilanto Prabowo, said the organization’s status should remain as it is, which is under the auspices of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), since separation might lead to increased control of the organization by the bigger developed nations.

“We have the interest to retain IOTC’s position under FAO, as the UN organization cares about the existence of the developing countries in the commission,” he said.

IOTC was established in 1996 as an intergovernmental organization under a UN convention.

It has 28 members including Australia, the UK, Japan and the EU representing the interests of developed UN member states, while Indonesia, Iran and India are among those representing developing ones.

Nilanto also said that there were concerns on the part of developing countries about the possibility of changes in the IOTC system should the IOTC split from the FAO.

The IOTC could become a more market-oriented organization with major countries and interests taking control of the commission, Nilanto said, circumstances that could put the tuna industry in developing countries at risk, as they did not have the capacity for full-blown competition with larger competitors.

The proposal to separate from FAO has so far secured the backing of countries like Japan, Australia and New Zealand, but opposition from many developing nations.

Nilanto said China, Iran and India shared the Indonesian position.

This proposal, to leave the FAO, first originated from a recommendation by an independent panel of IOTC, as it saw the management of the commission as too dominated by the UN’s complex bureaucratic system, making it less efficient and often less transparent.

IOTC executive secretary Alexandro Anganuzzi acknowledged the wide difference in opinions between the groups for and against change.

“It is very premature for us to say [about the outcome to separate or not], it will be up to members to do what they want,” he said.

IOTC’s main objective is to promote cooperation among its members to ensure the conservation and optimum utilization of tuna stocks in the Indian Ocean region.

It is holding its 13th annual meeting in Bali from March 30 until April 3 to discuss these issues.

Indonesia, which is the largest tuna producer in the Southeast Asia region, only recently joined the IOTC as a full member in 2007, after previously serving as a cooperating non-contracting party.

In 2008, Indonesia produced 937,000 tons of fish, including 125,933 tons of tuna. The year before, it produced 892,000 tons of fish, including 121,316 tons of tuna.

The country has said earlier in the meeting that it would propose an additional 500 tuna fishing boats to be added to its existing fleet of 874 tuna fishing vessels.

Indonesia sends warship to help secure Somali waters

www.chinaview.cn, 2009-03-20 16:49:41

JAKARTA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia on Friday sent a warship to support maintaining security in the waters of Somali following the rampant piracy there, Indonesian Military Commander General Djoko Santoso said here.

"The participation has been coordinated with the United Nation," Santoso said during the deployment of the ship here in Jakarta.

The Indonesian warship would join 14 foreign warships, which have been securing the Somali waters now, the Antara news agency reported.

These warships are from Japan, the United States, India, Russia, European Union and others.

Somalia's offshore waters are highly prone to piracy. The international maritime bureau reported that at least 24 attacks had taken place in the region between April and June this year.

Somalian armed groups had held hostage 10 ships recently and asked for a ransom to be paid at Eyl, a former fishery port in the country.