Ministry To Strengthen Supervision Of Indonesian Outward-Bound Ships

JAKARTA, Feb 7 (Antara) - Transportation Ministry announced that it will strengthen supervision of the Indonesia-flag vessels sailing overseas, in order to comply with the international convention, Tokyo MoU, an official said. Junaidi, the ministry's director of vessel and marine affairs, said in his written statement received by Antara in Jakarta, Tuesday that the measure was taken in order to curb the number ships being detained by the authorities of Tokyo MoU members. In 2015, the director stated that the Port State Control Officer (PSCO) of the convention's signatory countries have detained 36 of Indonesia-flagged ships in their waters, while the other 197 also had been checked. However, the figure has declined in 2016, as only 24 vessels were being detained, and 196 ships were being reviewed. In 2017, some 17 Indonesia-flag ships reportedly were captured by foreign authorities, while 196 vessels were being examined, Junaidi noted. "For the last three years, the number of our vessels being detained has declined, and the government remains committed to curbing the figure to zero," he remarked. The director now is seeking to free all Indonesia-flag ships from the "obtainable deficiency" status, granted by the Port State Control (PSC) authorities in Asia and the Pacific region. The government hopes that the strong supervision will prevent any ships for being blacklisted by the foreign authorities. Hence, in order to back the move, the Marine Transportation Directorate General launched a handbill No.UM003/11/8/DJPL-18 Year 2018 on the Supervisions of Indonesia-Flag Vessels Sailing Overseas. The leaflet has been signed by the director general of marine transportation, Agus H Purnomo, and the copies have been circulated to every port authority across the country. The ministry has called on the port authorities to ensure that all vessels and crews have complied with the international regulations, namely owning the sail approval letter (SPB). The approval letter is an official document that would ensure that the vessel along with its crews have complied with all regulations agreed by the international convention. "The supervision will be launched by the vessel safety check officers, assisted by the Indonesian Port State Control Officer, in accordance to the guidelines on Tokyo MoU manual, and IMO Resolution A.1052, article 27," he remarked. If certain vessel is not complying with the rules, the authority will not issue the approval letter for the ship and the crew, Junaidi stressed. Hence, he asked all ship captains, crews, and operators, to pay more attention to the regulations on the convention. When a ship operator, crew, or the captain, are failed to comply with the rules, the ministry will shut down their document of compliance, and lower their sailing coverage certificates.