Indonesia to Ratify the Continental Shelf Bill

TheIndonesia.co - The Continental Shelf Bill could strengthen Indonesia’s stance on the issue, Acting Director-General of Marine Spatial Management at the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry Pamuji Lestari has said.

The bill was initiated by the government to strengthen Indonesia’s legal standing in negotiations or claims for settlement of maritime boundaries with neighboring countries, she informed in a press release here on Saturday, December 4, 2021.

"Since 2017, the ministry has initiated in submitting the bill to the President, while the related ministries and institutions have reviewed it," she added as quoted by Antara news agency.

She also noted that the bill has currently been included in the National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) of the 2021 Priority Bill.

Hence, the ministry will continue to accommodate the aspirations of academics and experts in the marine sector to refine the contents of the bill, the acting director-general said.

The utilization of the continental shelf in Indonesia currently covers fisheries activities, exploration of oil, gas, and minerals, the establishment of submarine pipelines and cables, construction of marine structures, research on geophysical-based conservation, and submarine volcano locations, she informed.

The ministry plans to encourage the use of marine bio-pharmacology, marine biotechnology, the use of sea waves apart from energy, marine tourism, salt production, and retrieval of valuable objects from sunken ships (BMKT), she added.

"The Continental Shelf Bill will not only regulate the utilization of the marine environment, but also attempts to protect it, such as preventing pollution and environmental destruction, as well as mitigation, rehabilitation, and recovery efforts," Lestari added.

Meanwhile, Gadjah Mada University academic I Made Andi Arsana said that to maintain Indonesia’s marine ecosystem well, it is necessary to conduct patrols.

"If we do not want the environment to be misused by other parties, we must be able to detect, guard, and patrol the waters," he said.

Indonesia's continental shelf has become an issue when China asks an Indonesian company to stop drilling at the North Natuna Sea. Indonesia claims the drilling is within Indonesia's exclusive economic zone, while China said it is part of their South China Sea territorial.