RI to open three sea-lanes for international passage
RI to open three sea-lanes for international passage
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas said
yesterday that Indonesia would open three north-south sea-lanes
to international shipping next year and that another east-west
sea passage was also under consideration.
Alatas said the Maritime Safety Committee of the London-based
International Maritime Organization (IMO) had officially adopted
the three archipelagic sea-lanes proposed by Indonesia on May 19.
Upon the opening of the lanes, foreign shipping, including
military vessels, will be able sail freely through the three
passages without prior permission. They, however, will not be
allowed to travel outside the established lanes.
Previously, each ship had to request prior permission from
Indonesian officials and provide its proposed route.
"It is hoped that next year, these three archipelagic sea-
lanes will be fully operational and respected by all countries,"
Alatas told a news conference at his office.
Alatas was accompanied by Navy Chief Adm. Arief Kushariadi,
the foreign ministry's Director General of Political Affairs
Nugroho Wisnumurti, Ambassador-at-large on Sea/Maritime Law
Hasjim Djalal and the Navy's head of hydrology and oceanography,
Commodore Nicolas P. Elok.
Alatas said only technical details, such as laws covering the
setting up of a monitoring, surveillance and control mechanism,
remained to be worked out.
The three lanes will allow international passage of vessels
and overhead flights through the archipelago on a north and south
axis.
One route lies through the Sunda and Karimata straits leading
to the South China Sea, while a second runs through the Lombok
and Makassar straits leading to the Celebes Sea.
The third lane connects the seas of Sawu, Timor and Arafura to
the Pacific Ocean through the Leti Strait, the Banda Sea and the
Moluccas Sea.
Alatas said several countries had been pressing for sea-lanes
that traversed an east-west axis of the archipelago.
"But, we believe that for the time being, the three north-
south sea-lanes will be sufficient." Alatas said.
"We are not closing the door altogether on looking into the
possibility of an east-west sea-lane passage, but as of now we
believe that there is an understanding between us and the major
maritime users. We will see how the three north-south sea-lanes
function," he added.
Hasjim said flights would also be allowed along the sea-lanes
and that submarines would not have to sail on the surface.
The establishment of the sea-lanes were required under the
recognition of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of
the Sea of Indonesia's archipelagic concept.
Seas within an archipelagic state are considered the state's
territory, where foreign vessels must obtain the permission of
state authorities.
Indonesia covers a land mass of 1.9 million square kilometers
and has territorial waters of nearly four times that size. (byg)