Non-Subsidised Fuel Price Surge Leaves Thousands of Indramayu Fishermen Ashore
The surge in the price of non-subsidised diesel fuel has caused the collapse of the capture fishing industry in Indramayu Regency. Hundreds of vessels are unable to set sail, resulting in thousands of crew members being left idle.
In response, hundreds of fishermen and vessel owners affiliated with the Pantura Fishermen Movement held a protest rally at the Karangsong Fish Auction Site in Indramayu Regency on Monday (4/5/2026). In addition to delivering speeches, they read out a letter containing demands addressed to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi, and Indramayu Regent Lucky Hakim.
The General Chairman of the Pantura Fishermen Movement, Kajidin, stated that the increase in non-subsidised diesel prices is severely strangling the industry, as it is not offset by rising fish prices. This has led to hundreds of vessels currently unable to operate.
“Diesel prices have skyrocketed. For nearly two months, we’ve been at a standstill. There are hundreds of vessels that haven’t gone to sea,” said Kajidin.
Currently, the price of industrial diesel stands at around Rp 27,000 per litre. Just a short time ago, the price of industrial diesel was still around Rp 16,000 per litre.
Kajidin acknowledged that some vessels are still at sea because they departed before the diesel price surge. However, those vessels will face the same fate upon returning to land.
“That will be a nightmare for us when those vessels dock, because they too won’t be able to set sail again due to the soaring fuel prices,” he said.
Kajidin urged the government to step in to save those involved in the capture fishing industry. One way to do this would be to set a special price for non-subsidised diesel for fishermen with vessels over 30 GT.
“We hope the government provides a special non-subsidised diesel price for fishermen, set above the subsidised price but below the industrial diesel price,” said Kajidin.
Kajidin noted that vessels over 100 GT require around 100,000 litres of diesel for a voyage. At a non-subsidised diesel price of Rp 30,000 per litre, that would cost Rp 3 billion just for fuel.
This cost, he continued, does not include provisions for the crew. Typically, they are at sea for about eight months.
Meanwhile, the catch is around 100 tonnes. At a fish price of Rp 22,000 per kilogramme, the revenue obtained is only Rp 2.2 billion.
Kajidin added that they also hope the government will stabilise fish prices. Currently, fish prices cannot keep pace with the costs of going to sea, particularly fuel prices.
Meanwhile, Suwarto, Chairman of the Karangsong Mina Sumitra Sea Fishing Cooperative (KPL), said that the number of vessels at Karangsong Port totals 600 units. Of these, around 300 are over 30 gross tonnes (GT) and use non-subsidised diesel, while the rest are under 30 GT and use subsidised diesel.
“Out of the 300 vessels using industrial diesel, more than 100 have not gone to sea since after Eid al-Fitr. The rest are still at sea, and when they return, they will face the same problems,” he said.
Suwarto explained that each vessel employs around 15–17 crew members. Therefore, thousands of crew members are currently unemployed because the vessels are not departing for sea.