Indonesia is receiving support from the International Maritime Organization in its efforts to accede to the key treaty on the safety of fishing vessels: the 2012 Cape Town Agreement. A national consultation visit was held in Bali (24-28 June), at Indonesia’s request, to provide expert legal and technical assistance to support the State’s accession process and ensure effective compliance and implementation.
Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelagic state, with more than 17,500 islands, and 40% of its population depends on fishing for their livelihoods. This underlines the importance of the Cape Town Agreement – which will set minimum standards for fishing vessel safety – to protect personnel on the country’s fishing vessels and on board foreign fishing vessels where their nationals may be employed or calling at their ports.
The consultation visit was organized by IMO, the Indonesian Ministry of Transport and the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts, S&P Global and the Indonesia Tuna Longline Association. Participants also visited the Benoa fishing port.
The visit included analysing gaps in existing legislation and safety requirements, and developing an overview of capacity building needs. The benefits of the Cape Town Agreement were explained in detail to public and private stakeholders in the Indonesian fisheries sector.
Indonesia has already started the accession process through a presidential decree. Once the process is completed, Indonesia plans to organize a regional workshop, in collaboration with IMO, to share experiences and guide other countries in the Asia-Pacific region that would consider joining the Cape Town Agreement, which would need to meet the entry-in-force criteria.
The Cape Town Agreement, once in force, will ensure global regulation of safety standards for the world’s large industrial fishing vessels and for those working on board. A crucial milestone was reached in October 2023, with the number of parties to the CTA reaching 22, thus meeting one of the two criteria required for the Agreement to enter into force. The second condition – that States parties to the treaty must have a total of at least 3,600 fishing vessels of 24 metres and above authorised to operate on the high seas – has not yet been met. The Agreement will enter into force 12 months after the date on which both requirements have been met.
Participants in the consultation visit to Indonesia included representatives from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Maritime Coordination and Investment, port authorities under the Directorate General of Maritime Transport, Directorate General of Capture Fisheries, fisheries industries, fisheries associations and training institutions.
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