Three Main Issues In Raja Ampat Coral Reef Incident: Minister

JAKARTA, March 22 (Antara) - The Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs' deputy for maritime sovereignty highlighted three issues in the MV Caledonian incident, in which the ship crashed into a coral reef off Raja Ampat, West Papua, on March 4. "There are three main issues that need to be addressed," Arif Havas Oegroseno noted during a press conference at the Coordinating Ministry building in Jakarta, Monday. The first issue pertains to the compensation for the damage and the civil liabilities of the ship's captain and the company. "For this dispute, in particular, the company under which MV Caledonian Sky ship is operating had handed it over to the insurance company, so we are now working with them to settle all damage disputes, which include the restoration processes," he explained. Secondly, there is the matter of criminal offense, as the ship's captain had violated the regulations laid down by the Ministry of Forestry and Environment and might be facing charges. "The Ministry of Forestry and Environment will conduct their own investigation in order to compile the evidence," Havas added. Lastly, there is the dispute of professional conduct, which has to do with the ethical code. "The approach can be undertaken through the country in which the ship is registered (the Bahamas); the operator country, which is Sweden; or the ship's country of origin, which is Great Britain. The Transportation Ministry's Directorate General of Sea Transport's team had established some contacts, and we are awaiting the follow-up measures," he reiterated. Havas further stated that each of these matters did not need to be tackled consequentially, as they are being settled by different parties. "Hence, each process can be carried out separately, but each entity will need to wait for the completion of the joint survey, so that a clear picture of the damaged area emerges," he noted. The team of various ministries, tasked with settling the Raja Ampat coral reef damage dispute, established a total of 22,060 square meters of the surveyed area along with the British insurance company P&I Club. After the survey, the team, along with P&I Club that insures the MV Caledonian Sky, will then carry out the verification processes. Apart from reviewing the coral reef damage, a survey to measure the social and economic damages caused to the community in the area is also being conducted by the Ministry of Forestry and Environment. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is conducting an investigation, in cooperation with the Bandung Technology Institute's coral reef experts, in order to explore the possible criminal charges that could be leveled against the ship's captain. "We are hoping for the survey to proceed quickly, so that we can move on to reviewing the tangible damages," Havas reiterated. The 4,290-tonne cruise ship, which was on a 16-night journey from Papua New Guinea to the Philippines, damaged approximately 1.3 hectares of coral at a diving site known as the Crossover Reef in Raja Ampat. The accident resulted in the destruction of the ecosystems' structural habitat and the reduction or loss of diversity of eight coral genera, including acropora, porites, montipora, and stylophora. The results of field investigations conducted by the local government immediately after the occurrence indicated that the vessel had entered Gam Island through proper channels but followed the wrong route and ran aground after the bird-watching activity.