Indonesia to tighten maritime safety
Indonesia is to consider amendments to its 15-year-old Maritime Act, a source at the Directorate of Sea Transportation told Fairplay. “Deliberations are now before parliament” on the question of amendments, he said. The contents of Clause 21 appear to be of particular concern, with parallel amendments slated for all transport departments in Indonesia. The country has suffered in recent months from a number of maritime disasters, mainly involving its ferries. The sinking of the Senopati Nusantara on 30 December and the fire and subsequent sinking of the Levina on 22 February caused the loss of about 600 lives, with many more unaccounted for. Endemic political corruption is largely blamed for the poor state of Indonesia’s maritime industry, compromising the naval auditing and maritime safety. In January, Indonesia’s Jakarta Post blamed corrupt harbour masters for the overloading in ferries.