Kalla refuses compensation

Asip A. Hasani, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Shipping company PT. Kalla Lines and Yogyakarta fishermen have failed to reach a compensation agreement for environmental damage allegedly caused by the sinking of a company tanker off Congot beach, Yogyakarta province last year.

"Based on our study as well as satellite photography, there has been no significant damage in the water caused by our submerged tanker," Kalla Lines operations director Ramadhan said during negotiations at the Yogyakarta branch of the Regional Environmental Impact Management (Bapedalda).

Ten fishermen representing hundreds of their colleagues from Kulonprogo, Bantul, and Gunung Kidul attended Thursday's meeting, which was chaired by Bapedalda representative Tirun Marwoto.

The tanker, KMT. Bumi Sarana, containing 1,500 tons of asphalt sank last July in Congot beach, Kulonprogo, some 50 kilometers southwest of Yogyakarta.

Sumaryo, a fisherman from Kulon Progo regency, said that the sinking of the tanker had caused a significant drop in daily catch figures, with income dropping from Rp 400,000 to Rp 100,000 per boat per day.

"The tanker sank right where most of the fish live, causing them to move away," he said.

Sumaryo and his friends demanded PT. Kalla Lines pay compensation totaling Rp 14.5 billion.

"The remains of the tanker has frequently caused damage to our casting nets as it is only 50 meters from the water's surface," Sumantoyo, another fisherman from Bantul regency said.

Teguh Purnomo from non-governmental organization Indonesian Environmental Forum said that PT. Kalla Lines, under the umbrella of its holding company Kalla Group, should remove the tanker as it could damage the area's ecosystem.

Despite the deadlock, however, they agreed to form a small team comprising four fishermen, a representative of the Association of Indonesian Fishermen, and an environmental observer.

"We will arrange negotiations between the team and directors of PT. Kalla Lines," Ali Abbas from Kalla Group said.