Jakarta (ANTARA) - Wakatobi AIS or the Safety and Tracking Technology for Small Fishermen Automatic Identification System helps improve fishermens' safety, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono stated in a release, here on Wednesday.

"(Wakatobi AIS ) is very good, it needs to continue to be developed so that its features and messages can further help the needs of fishermen when sailing," Trenggono said.

Trenggono delivered the statement when visiting the Wakatobi Maritime Technology Engineering Center (LPTK) and saw firsthand the operation of technological devices there on Wednesday.

On this occasion, he handed over 10 Wakatobi AIS devices for fishermen and one unit for the Wakatobi District Government, Southeast Sulawesi.

Trenggono said he expected that the assistance can increase the productivity of Wakatobi fishermen.

"We hope that with the support of these devices and technology, fishermen’s productivity will increase, so that they will be more prosperous. This is also a positive thing in the efforts to accelerate measurable fishing," he added.

Meanwhile, the acting head of the Maritime Research Center, Rudi Alek Wahyudin, explained that the main purpose of the Wakatobi AIS is to improve the monitoring of fishermen and increase their safety.

Wahyudin said Wakatobi AIS is expected to be a solution to the problems faced by small fishermen, such as the availability of meteorological information on fishing zones and assisting during emergencies experienced when sailing.

"With this device, it is hoped that ships can be monitored so that when an emergency occurs, help can be sent quickly," he added.

Furthermore, the head of LPTK, Efi Noferya Manafi said, Wakatobi AIS is specially designed for Indonesian small fishermen.

Therefore, its shape, size, and energy source, which is from a battery that can be recharged after every 20 hours of use, are designed to be as simple as possible for traditional fishermen, she said.
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Translator: M Rahman, Kenzu T
Editor: Suharto
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