Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Affirms Umang Island is Not for Sale, Here Are the Real Facts

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) has assured that the viral social media issue regarding the sale of Umang Island in Pandeglang Regency, Banten, is untrue. Director General of Marine Resources and Fisheries Supervision (PSDKP), Pung Nugroho Saksono, stated that KKP quickly moved to temporarily halt the marine spatial utilisation of the resort owned by PT GSM, the manager, which is strongly indicated to have violated marine spatial utilisation on Umang Island on Tuesday (14/4/2026). “Our team’s field investigation found that the manager stated they never intended to sell the island through online sites. However, the team discovered indications of marine spatial utilisation violations, so the utilisation must be temporarily halted,” Pung said in a written statement in Jakarta on Wednesday (15/4/2026). Pung emphasised that his side acted swiftly to follow up on the Umang Island sale issue and provided no room for compromise on marine spatial utilisation violations that do not comply with regulations. Based on the examination results, Pung said, PT GSM never uploaded or collaborated with others to sell Umang Island and has requested the Instagram account owner, Xavier Marks Prestige, to take down the sales advertisement post as of 7 April 2026. Nevertheless, the Polsus PWP3K team found that PT GSM manager was operating resort and marine tourism activities on Umang Island without possessing the Marine Spatial Utilisation Activity Compliance Approval (PKKPRL) document, Small Islands Utilisation Recommendation, and Water Tourism Permit. “We fully support the economic vibrancy on small islands, but compliance is non-negotiable. It is very important that utilisation in accordance with regulations means maintaining a balance between economic and ecological aspects,” Pung stressed. Director of Marine Resources Supervision, Sumono Darwinto, stated that KKP has asked the manager to cooperate by immediately completing all required permits. “We will continue to monitor this process closely to ensure that every marine spatial utilisation activity around Umang Island operates within the legal corridor,” Sumono said. This aligns with the directives of the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, who emphasised that all marine spatial utilisation business actors on a permanent basis, including the establishment of permanent structures, must possess PKKPRL in accordance with applicable regulations to preserve coastal ecosystems.