Fri, 13 Oct 1995

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)