Shipping routes off Cilacap disrupted

Agus Maryono The Jakarta Post Cilacap, Central Java

Shipping routes in the waters off Cilacap, Central Java, have recently been disrupted by fishermen who persist in casting their nets along designated shipping lanes.

Very often incoming or outward bound ships at the city's Pelabuhan III Indonesian Tanjung Intan port and the special port for state oil and gas company Pertamina are postponed due to the casting of fishing nets along the final five-kilometer route to the ports.

Cilacap Pertamina's spokesman, Husni Banser, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that the situation had tarnished the city port's image and could lead to international shipping companies blacklisting it.

There are six tankers loading and unloading at Pertamina's private port every day.

He cited the tankers as an example.

"If we wait for the fishermen to clear their fishing nets it would take a long time and we would have to pay the docking fee of the tankers in the port, which could amount to Rp 125 million," he said.

According to him, many captains of foreign ships have complained of the situation. "This has really concerned us. In the long run we could be blacklisted by international shipping companies," he said.

He said if the tankers decided to plow through the fishing nets without waiting for them to be cleared, the fishermen would throng the state company's office and demand compensation.

He said that one fishing net cost about Rp 5 million. "Often they do it. We suspect that they intentionally do it to get the compensation. That causes many people to jokingly ask whether the fishermen want to net the fish or the ships," he said.

Husni noted that at least 600 fishermen fished along the route, casting at least 160 fishing nets. One fishing net has a width of about 70 meters, while the route's width is about 100 meters.

Directional signals, which are very important to direct ships to and from the port at night, are also often stolen. "Without the signals they cannot pass the route and have to be guided," he said.

Pertamina, he said, had twice met the fishermen to explain the importance of the route for shipping, but to no avail.

"We hope the local administration will organize other meetings with the fishermen to convince them about the problem," said Husni.