Sustainable Maritime Economy Needs to be Optimized

The potential of the maritime sector is still very large. However, the challenges are not easy.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Ekonomi Maritim Berkelanjutan Perlu Dioptimalkan

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Illustration-Repair of fishing nets.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Indonesia has great potential as a maritime maritime country. Efforts to exploit this potential require integrated marine space management. However, marine space management still faces challenges that are not easy.

Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said that Indonesia's geographical condition, which consists of 17,500 islands and is surrounded by 6.4 million square meters (m2) of water, has become an important habitat for mangrove plants covering an area of ​​3 .3 million hectares (ha), coral reefs 2.5 million ha, and seagrass beds covering 300,000 ha which are home to fish resources.

However, the management of the sea space in Indonesia still faces significant challenges. This is because many industrial sectors utilize the sea and its resources in an extractive manner. The maritime sector's gross domestic product (GDP) contributes 7.6 percent to the country's total GDP. Meanwhile, 281 municipalities and communities in over 12,000 coastal villages depend on a healthy sea for their livelihoods.

"In addition to its vast potential, our seas also face great pressure. Marine damage not only poses a disaster for Indonesia, but also threatens the future of human life," said Trenggono in his opening speech at the Marine Spatial Planning and Services Expo 2023 held in hybrid format in Jakarta on Tuesday (19/9/2023)."

The maritime sector includes, among others, shipbuilding industry, fisheries and biotechnology, mining and energy, ship repair, sea freight warehousing services, ferry services, logistics, ports, container terminals, as well as weapons and warship manufacturing.

Also read: Maritime Development Needs to be Sustainable

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, stated that Indonesia, which consists of 75 percent marine area, has tremendous maritime potential. About 45 percent of global trade routes pass through the sea, and a significant portion of them pass through Indonesian waters.

The struggle of political diplomacy as a maritime country has been ongoing since the Djuanda Declaration in 1957 until the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1982. However, for two decades, development in the maritime sector has been sluggish. The potential of maritime resources has not been fully realized.

He added that there is still a lot of maritime potential that has not been maximized and needs to be managed, including the potential for capture and cultivation fisheries, seaweed, energy, as well as undersea cable and pipeline routes. A marine strategic plan needs to be prepared. "If we manage all of this, Indonesia will become a superpower country," said Luhut.

Efforts to realize maritime sovereignty require systematic steps in organizing sea space as outlined in the integrated sea spatial plan and the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) 2025-2045. The organization of sea and land spatial areas is considered equally important.

Also read: World Maritime Axis

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Several fishing boats are moored on the coast of Kawa Village, Seram Barat District, West Seram Bagian Barat Regency, Maluku, on Monday (4/9/2023).

Device

According to Trenggono, efforts to support a sustainable maritime economy require strong marine space governance and instruments. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is currently developing two technology and artificial intelligence-based instruments for marine space management, namely ocean big data and ocean accounting i>.

Ocean big data which is supported by devices such as underwater and aerial drones as well as radar and satellites aims to map activities in the sea, measure water quality and habitat conditions. A total of 20 nanosatellites are planned to be released and operated starting in 2024. These devices are expected to provide up-to-date information on coastal and marine conditions to support decision making in managing and monitoring coastal and marine ecosystem resources.

Meanwhile, ocean accounting is an integrated spatial and non-spatial data management system that provides information on Indonesia's marine wealth, marine space utilization activities, pollution, damage, as well as marine rehabilitation, conservation and restoration. Apart from that, the impact of licensing and use of marine space on the quality and function of marine ecology in the medium and long term. The quality and impact of marine and fisheries development is reflected in the balance of marine resources.

"We must begin to conserve and manage our oceans through regulations, policies, and decisions on maritime spatial planning based on the latest, measurable data and information available in detailed scales, and regularly and periodically updated," said Trenggono.

Trenggono added that all stakeholders can use these two tools for utilizing ocean spaces and ensuring more objective evaluation of maritime economic performance. The operational and management obstacles of these instruments are considered to be overcome through cross-ministerial and institutional collaboration as well as with the involvement of business entities, research institutions, and society.