Kapal Pencuri Ikan Ditenggelamkan Lagi oleh Kementerian KKP
Indonesian Govt Sinks Another Foreign Illegal Ship in Batam
Reporter : Rusdi Kamal
Editor : Cahyani Harzi
Translator : Dhelia Gani
Batam - Penenggelaman kapal asing pencuri ikan kembali dilakukan oleh Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan terhadap kapal eks-asing berbendera Indonesia dengan bobot 60 ton di perairan di sekitar Pulau Batam, Kepulauan Riau, Senin.
"Penenggelaman kapal ilegal ini menjadi bukti keseriusan pemerintah dalam memberantas illegal fishing dan menegakkan keamanan di laut, serta sebagai wujud penguatan kedaulatan negara," kata Menteri Kelautan dan Perikanan, Susi Pudjiastuti, dalam keterangan tertulisnya, di Jakarta, Senin.
Menurut data KKP, kapal dengan nama lambung KM Laut Natuna 28 atau KM Sudhita ini setelah diperiksa diketahui berasal dari Thailand dan terbukti menangkap ikan tanpa dokumen izin yang sah di Wilayah Pengelolaan Perikanan (WPP) 711 atau di sekitar Laut Natuna, Provinsi Kepulauan Riau.
"Maka sesuai ketentuan Undang-undang, pada kapal itu dapat dilakukan tindakan khusus berupa pemusnahan atau penenggelaman," kata Pudjiastuti.
Kapal itu ditenggelamkan di Perairan Selat Dempo atau pada jarak 60 mil laut dari Pulau Batam. Proses penenggelaman melibatkan Kapal Pengawas KKP yakni Hiu 001, Hiu 004 dan Hiu 010.
Selain itu, KRI Barakuda-633, KRI Hasalan 630, dan KRI Tjiptadi 381 milik TNI Angkatan Laut serta Kapal Polisi Bisma juga turut dilibatkan dalam proses penenggelaman itu.
Susi memaparkan, KM Laut Natuna 28 ditangkap KP Hiu 009 pada Kamis (pukul 16.00 WIB/30 Oktober 2014), di sekitar perairan Laut Natuna, Kepulauan Riau.
Pada saat dilakukan pemeriksaan kapal dengan nakhoda bernama Sangwian Srisom (46 tahun), WNA Thailand, dan sebelas orang ABK yang juga berkewarganegaraan Thailand, diketahui sedang melakukan penangkapan ikan di Laut Natuna.
Kapal tertangkap saat menggunakan alat penangkap ikan trawl dan ditemukan hasil tangkapan ikan campuran sekitar 100 kilogram.
Selain itu, kapal tersebut melakukan aktivitas penangkapan ikan tanpa dilengkapi dokumen perizinan dan melanggar Pasal 26 UU Nomor 31/2004 tentang Perikanan. (Ant)
Batam (B2B) - The Indonesian Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry along with the Navy here on Monday sunk a Thailand-flagged illegal fishing vessel that was caught in the Natuna sea, Riau province, last October 30.
"The sinking of the ship proves that we are serious about eradicating illegal fishing practices in our seas. This is also an effort to protect our countrys sovereignty," said Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister, Susi Pudjiastuti said here after witnessing the sinking.
The ship, KM Laut Natuna 28, that weighed 80 Gross Ton was drowned in the Dempo Strait, 60 nautical miles from Batam island. Three Indonesian Navy ships and three observatory ships of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries were involved in the operation.
A local authority who helped intercept the illegal ship in the Natuna sea last October 30 stated the captain and 11 crew members on board (all Thai nationals) were catching fish when they were caught. There were some 100 kilograms of fish of various kinds inside the boat. It had Indonesian name KM Laut Natuna 28 written on its left hull while the right side of the hull had the name KM Sudhita on it.
"That was done to outwit our officers in sea," Pudjiastuti pointed out.
So far, Indonesia has not tapped its full fishing potential and the country remains weak in protecting its marine sector, which has the potential to earn US$1.2 trillion a year, officials observed.
The countrys weak control over its marine wealth has enabled foreign poachers to steal its fish, which, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, amounts to Rp300 trillion per annum.
Based on the calculations of the Peoples Coalition for Fisheries Justice, the state lost Rp101 trillion to illegal fishing between January and August 2014; some 1.6 million tons were illegally fished from Indonesian waters during this period.
Therefore, the governments move to sink illegal fishing vessels has gained wide support at home and the people hope that the action will continue until the countrys waters are cleared of poachers.
