Governor of Lemhannas Andi Widjajanto explained that the 1982 United Nations (UN) Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) clearly regulates maritime boundaries.
"We understand that based on the 1982 UNCLOS, it is not possible to expand the sea area, because there has been a shift in maritime boundaries due to the formation of artificial islands," he said at a press conference on the sidelines of the 7th Jakarta Geopolitical Forum 2023 in Jakarta on Wednesday.
PP No. 26/2023 is among the government’s policies to ensure the security and safety of shipping lanes, as mandated by UNCLOS 1982, he added.
"What I understand from this rule is that the main objective is to overcome the problem of sedimentation in our shipping lanes. That globally, based on UNCLOS 1982, we must be responsible for ensuring the safety and freedom of navigation in the Indonesian Archipelago Sea Lanes (ALKI) I, II, and III; so we have to ensure that the depth at ALKI is in accordance with global standards," he explained.
Therefore, Widjajanto continued, dredging sedimentation at sea is necessary if it exceeds the safety and security standards of shipping lanes.
The sea sand obtained while dredging sedimentation also has economic potential that must be utilized and this has been regulated in PP No. 26/2023, he said.
"We can then have a side product in the form of sea sand, which can be used primarily for domestic needs and under the regulation, (sea sand) may only be exported if the domestic demand is met," Widjajanto added.
Earlier, President Joko Widodo emphasized that PP No. 26/2023 regulates the matter of sedimentation in the sea, which could disrupt shipping and coral reef ecosystems.
"What is in the PP is sedimentary sand, yes, sedimentary sand which disrupts shipping, which also disturbs coral reefs," he said while issuing directions at the 2023 National Coordination Meeting for Governmental Internal Monitoring in Jakarta on Wednesday.
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Translator: Genta Tenri Mawangi, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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