Govt asked to end ban on used vessel imports

Govt asked to end ban on used vessel imports

JAKARTA (JP): Members of the House of Representatives urged
the government yesterday to revoke a ban on importing used
vessels and to reduce procedures for fishery licensing to
encourage more domestic fishing firms to tap fishery resources.

Chairman of the House's Commission IV, which oversees
agriculture, forestry affairs and transmigration, Syarief Said
Alkadrie of the Golkar faction, reminded in a hearing between the
commission and Minister of Agriculture Sjarifudin Baharsjah last
week, that an agreement had been achieved with the minister on
the necessity of Indonesia to import fishing vessels and the
deregulation on the licensing of fishing businesses.

"We hope the government will lift the ban on the importation
of fishing vessels, while the country is developing its
shipbuilding industry," he said.

He said the government is formulating regulations on the
importation of fishing vessels.

Sjarifudin said Indonesia manufactures small vessels,
measuring between 30 and 60 gross tons, and therefore does not
need to import any.

"This is the size of vessels that our fishermen need. The
requests to allow large vessels of over 100 tons come from large-
scale businesses," he said, adding that large vessels could be
produced by PT PAL, a state-owned shipbuilding company.

Sjarifudin also told the commission last week that his office,
in cooperation with the Ministry of Transportation, is attempting
to reduce red tape in the fishing industry.

"It is possible to drastically reduce the 31 steps which are
currently obligatory for fishing companies to obtain permits to
operate," he told reporters.

A commission deputy chairman, Imam Churmen, said yesterday
that Indonesia's waters, including the Exclusive Economic Zones,
have a potential of 6.7 million tones of fish per annum, of which
only 30 percent is tapped by domestic companies and fishermen.

Foreign

Foreign fishing vessels, including those operating without any
permits from the Indonesian government, dominate fishing
activities in the waters.

Imam said that Indonesian waters need vessels of at least 40
tons, while domestic shipyards can produce ships of up to 20 tons
only.

"Of course, we have to protect the domestic shipbuilding
industry but we should not let foreigners steal our sea
potential," he said, adding that the best way out of such a
problem is allowing the importation of used vessels.

State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie said
last Friday that to make locally built sea vessels which are
globally superior needs sacrifices in the form of a ban on the
importation of used vessels.

Habibie, who is also chairman of the Management Board for
Strategic Industries, called on the people to buy local products
of strategic industries to help finance the costs for research
and development.

Indonesia needs an estimated 19,861 vessels in the coming 25
years, including 1,762 for operations in the Exclusive Economic
Zones. (01)