JAKARTA: The Indonesian Navy has planned to hand over 10 Navy Patrol ships (KAL) to the Maritime Security Board (Bakamla) by the end of this year.
According to Navy chief of staff, Adm. Ade Supandi, said the 10 ships would require alterations before they could be used by Bakamla. “There needs to be some adjustments because they will be used as civilian patrol boats and we must follow several protocols,” Ade said.
Some large weapons on the ships would be removed and replaced with those of a smaller caliber. For example, the 37-millimeter cannon on one of the ships would be replaced by a 12.7-millimeter one, which would be more appropriate for Bakamla’s patrol activities, he said.
Indonesian Navy also plans to set up a survey team to assess the condition of the 10 ships before they are handed over to Bakamla.
Meanwhile, the newly established Bakamla acknowledged is still working to coordinate with other maritime stakeholders to achieve effective law enforcement in Indonesian waters.
“Synergizing with other maritime stakeholders takes time, they also have their own regulations,” Bakamla’s operating chief Commodore Wuspo Lukito said. For instance, there is no coordination among the institutions for water patrols.
Currently Bakamla is tasked with coordinating 12 institutions in the country’s maritime sector, including the Navy, the water police, the Customs Office, the Immigration agency, prosecutors’ offices, the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Transportation Ministry.
Bakamla, established on Dec. 13 last year, constitutes an evolution of the Maritime Security Coordinating Board (Bakorkamla) with more powerful roles and functions, as well as a larger staff and fleet.
Mandated by the 2014 Law on maritime affairs, Bakamla was established as a bridge for the large number of institutions involved in the country’s maritime sector.
