Perhaps, Indonesia is assessed (by other NIOHC members) to have progressed in developing the electronic sea map...Yogyakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Navy’s Hydro-Oceanography Center (Pushidrosal) is hosting the 22nd North Indian Ocean Hydrographic Commission (NIOHC) meeting in Yogyakarta from February 13–15, 2023, to discuss the importance of hydrography in bolstering the global blue economy.
Representatives of several NIOHC members, including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and the United Kingdom, besides Indonesia are attending the meeting, Commander of Pushidrosal Vice Admiral Nurhidayat said on the sidelines of the opening of the meeting here on Monday.
"The meeting talks about the attempts to make the sea pleasant, comfortable, and safe to navigate," he added.
The NIOHC is a part of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO). Apart from NIOHC member countries, Oman, Australia, and the United States are also attending the meeting as associate members.
Meanwhile, representatives from Russia have joined the meeting as observers.
Nurhidayat, who is also chair of the NIOHC, said that the three-day meeting is also expected to answer current challenges to achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Indonesia has been entrusted with the responsibility of hosting the meeting again after successfully holding the 21st NIOHC meeting in Bali in 2022.
"Perhaps, Indonesia is assessed (by other NIOHC members) to have progressed in developing the electronic sea map and as better than the others, so we have been appointed (again) as the chair (of NIOHC)," the Pushidrosal commander remarked.
He said that Pushidrosal is actively managing broad hydro-oceanographic data to bolster environmental protection, maritime resource exploration and exploitation, coastal area management, safe and efficient sea transportation, as well as build a strong maritime defense.
His party is also often involved in global and regional hydrographic forums.
Meanwhile, regarding blue economy development, Nurhidayat said that hydro-oceanography can also be implemented to improve the shipping industry, tourism business, and mangrove forest conservation, which would also be very useful for mitigating the impact of a tsunami.
Furthermore, during the meeting, he said that each delegation of NIOHC members and associate member countries will submit its respective national report.
"The national report aims to convey the various developments achieved by the hydrographic agencies of each country," he informed.
The report of each country will include their hydrographic survey capabilities, capacity building activities, and contribution of each country’s hydrographic institutions at the national and regional levels, such as in search and rescue (SAR) as well as natural disaster response, he said.
During the meeting, the NIOHC International Charts Coordination Working Groups (NICCWG) and NIOHC Capacity Building Coordinator Report (NIOHC-CB) will also submit their reports, he said.
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Translator: Luqman Hakim, Uyu Liman
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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