The head of Bakamla, Vice Admiral Irvansyah, confirmed this when contacted in Jakarta on Monday.
"Currently, there is no activity from Chinese coast guard ships," he said.
Irvansyah informed that Bakamla ships are taking turns patrolling the North Natuna Sea every day, with one ship deployed daily for the task.
Bakamla has 10 patrol ships spread across three operational area. First, the West Maritime Zone, which covers the waters around Java Island, Sumatra Island, and Kalimantan Island.
Second, the Central Maritime Zone, which comprises the waters around Sulawesi Island and the Lesser Sunda Islands. Third, the East Maritime Zone, which covers the waters around the Maluku Islands and Papua.
Last month, Chinese coast-guard ship CCG 5402 entered Indonesian jurisdictional waters in the North Natuna Sea and disrupted PT Pertamina's seismic survey on the MV Geo Coral ship.
In response, Bakamla patrol ships expelled the Chinese ship thrice on October 21, 24, and 25, 2024.
In its official broadcast, the agency said that it will continue to monitor activities in the North Natuna Sea closely to ensure the seismic surveys run without disruption.
The North Natuna Sea is part of Indonesia's jurisdictional waters in the South China Sea, which is included in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
However, China unilaterally claims the waters are within its jurisdiction based on the 10-dash-line. The claim covers the entire waters of the South China Sea.
The unilateral claim is contrary to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Indonesia and China are on the list of countries that have ratified the UNCLOS.
On November 9, President Prabowo Subianto and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to work together to manage overlapping waters and form an Inter-Governmental Joint Steering Committee following the laws and regulations in force in each country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the joint statement by the two presidents was not tantamount to Indonesia's recognition of China's unilateral claim, stressing Indonesia remains subject to UNCLOS and international law.
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Translator: Genta Tenri M, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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