Traditional shipbuilders move on<\/p>\n
By Arifuddin Saeni<\/p>\n
BULUKUMBA, South Sulawesi (JP): The success story of the
\ntraditional shipbuilding industry in Tana Beru, Bulukumba
\nregency, South Sulawesi, is being rewritten with an unhappy
\nending.<\/p>\n
Dozens of owners of shipbuilding businesses have relocated to
\nother areas due to declining orders. Nearly half of about 300
\nshipbuilding workers are selling their services in Malaysia,
\nKalimantan, Polmas, Majene and Mamuju. In general, they have left
\nfor places in coastal areas.<\/p>\n
Tana Beru, the longtime center for building Phinisi Nusantara,
\nthe Bugis cargo ships which sail to Vancouver, Canada, still
\nshows glimpses of its past grandeur here and there. Big piles of
\nwooden planks are to be found, ready for use when the next order
\ncomes through.<\/p>\n
"Although traditional shipbuilding is not as busy as it used
\nto be, its heartbeat is still felt here. You can see for
\nyourself," said Andi Rahman, one of the shipbuilding business
\nowners at Tana Beru.<\/p>\n
On a two-kilometer-long stretch of the coastline, many
\nshipbuilding businesses still show some activities, with hundreds
\nof workers employed in the industry. Andi Rahman acknowledged
\nthat the country's economic chaos dealt a significant impact on
\nthe businesses, employing about 1,500 heads of households.<\/p>\n
Tana Beru is 180 kilometers from Ujungpandang and it takes
\nfour hours to cover the distance by motor vehicle. This
\nrelatively short distance has encouraged both domestic and
\nforeign tourists to see for themselves the traditional
\nshipbuilding process.<\/p>\n
Orders have come from countries such as the U.S., Canada and
\nJapan. "We are now building a ship according to a VOC (Dutch East
\nIndia Company) model for a client in Japan," said Andi Rahman.<\/p>\n
Most of the orders are from within Indonesia: cargo,
\ninterinsular passenger ships and fishing boats.<\/p>\n
In one year production averages five to 10 ships. Fifteen
\nshipbuilding owners are involved in the process. The number
\nincreases if the process is expedited in line with customer
\ndemands.<\/p>\n
Andi Rahman said the price depends on the ship's weight;
\norders from abroad are usually calculated in U.S. dollars.<\/p>\n
Based on the dollar price the industrialists can cover the
\ncost of wood which generally comes from Kalimantan. "The price of
\nwood is now excessively high," Rahman said.<\/p>\n
Foreign customers often express admiration for the uniqueness
\nof the traditional shipbuilding. Armed only with skills inherited
\nfrom their ancestors, the Tana Beru people -- without any formal
\ntraining -- are able to build ships weighing hundreds of tons.<\/p>\n
Before building starts, both the customer and the shipbuilder
\nare obliged to participate in a ritual in the hope that the
\nvessel will be finished on time and be safe when it sets sail.<\/p>\n
Community figure H. Ahmad admitted that many happenings at
\nTana Beru defy common sense. How is it possible that untrained,
\nilliterate people have a knack for designing ships? How do you
\nexplain that when customers have doubts about the ritual
\nceremony, the finishing of a ship can be delayed or the ship runs
\naground at sea?<\/p>\n
The story of the superiority of the Tana Beru people in
\nbuilding superior ships is only part of the tales related by
\nseafaring people. For Abdullah, a sailor, the sea is the place to
\ntest his skills. How can he guess the distance to the coast
\nsimply by touching the seawater? How can they set sail simply by
\nthe formation of the stars?<\/p>\n
"We often know the condition of nature, whether there will be
\na typhoon at sea or not, just by reading the direction of the
\nwind or the clouds," he said.<\/p>\n
Between October and November, many men from Tana Beru leave
\ntheir wives at home and set sail for journeys lasting months at a
\ntime. Consequently, many of the women in the area become pregnant
\nand give birth at the same time.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/traditional-shipbuilders-move-on-1447893297",
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