Indonesian Navy on Guard in Malacca Strait and South China Sea Against Illegal Goods Smuggling Attempts

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Commander of the Indonesian Fleet, Rear Admiral TNI Denih Hendrata, stated that his forces are on high alert regarding several strategic waterways, such as the Malacca Strait and the South China Sea, in connection with attempts to smuggle various illegal goods.

“Straits that we need to be wary of, for example, in the Malacca Strait region, then in the South China Sea, and then in border countries,” said Denih during a press conference at the Indonesian Fleet Command, Gunung Sahari, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday (12/5/2026).

Indonesia’s strategic position also makes international shipping traffic very dense, although it tends to come from the north.

In this regard, the methods of smuggling attempts are varied and continue to be studied by the authorities.

“Actually, with the many straits, smuggling can be carried out extensively. That extends, for narcotics, to the Madura waters,” he explained.

These steps are taken to ensure that all Indonesian territorial waters can be monitored more strictly.

“So that we can monitor all our territorial waters strictly. There is also cooperation with other stakeholders, monitoring is done meticulously, interoperability is achieved, including input from the community itself,” he stated.

New warships entering the Indonesian Navy’s inventory will be focused on supervising international shipping lanes, including the Indonesian Archipelagic Sea Lanes (ALKI) I, II, and III.

“But there are plans to develop more small ships that are agile, and their fuel consumption is not too high,” he concluded.