Indonesia’s Maritime Security Networks: A Prospect

As the world’s biggest archipelago Indonesia really has a huge maritime domain to cover. The country, however, is continuously trying to secure it by all available means. One of them is the radio detection and ranging system. Thus, several vital sea lines of communication (SLOC) already monitored by radar coverage operated by the civilian or military agencies. 

For example, the Ministry of Transport. It operates several radar stations in Tekong Kecil, Batu Ampar, Hiyu Kecil and Tanjung Berakit (all are in Riau Island Province) to eye the Malacca and Singapore Straits. Dubbed vessel traffic service or concisely called VTS, this system is consisting automatic identification system, VHF communication system, database for vessel traffic information system, CCTV system, meteorological observation system, recording and playback system and data communication link.

Developed by the grant provided by Japan government, the minister’s radar system is therefore not only able to provide information relating to the safety of navigation, but also those concerned with maritime security issues like smuggling, piracy, armed robbery and others. According to a Japan Coast Guard officer seconded at JICA mission in the Ministry of Transport, similar facility will be constructed in adjacent regions to the Malacca Strait, among other thing, Dumai (Riau Province).

Except the ministry, the Indonesia Maritime Security Coordinating Board, locally spelled Bakorkamla, also manages maritime surveillance system. Covering all of existing archipelago sealanes or ALKI=Alur Laut Kepulauan Indonesia, it also uses the same technology. Even, Bakorkamla operates satellite imagery ground stations to tighten the monitoring. Some of them are located in Bangka Belitung, Bitung and Batam.

Though their location unknown publicly, the Indonesia Navy (TNI-AL) as well as the Indonesia Air Force or TNI-AU also operates surveillance system both for ships and aircrafts across the nation.

System integration

With the existing surveillance system operated by the agencies Indonesia’s water territory is actually under control. Due to the nature of maritime domain, these devices, however, remain insufficient and therefore threats to the maritime security continuously present. But, this is not typical Indonesia; countries with similar characteristics like us are also facing them.

About that maritime domain, Peter Chalk, a security analyst with RAND Corporation, have said: sea offers an opaque and largely amorphous environment, which the terrorist groups can exploit. More often than not, maritime assets are exposed to lax governance and poor security in vast areas of un-policed water.

While Rohan Kumar Gunaratna, a professor at RSIS-NTU, Singapore, says “maritime domain is the most unregulated of spaces and the least policed.”

A little bit more regarding maritime security. It describes as measure employed by owners, operators and administrators of vessels, port facilities, offshore installations, and other marine organizations or establishments to protect against seizure, sabotage, piracy, pilferage, annoyance or surprise.

On the other hand, maritime safety is measure employed by owners, operators and administrators of vessels, port facilities, offshore installations, and other marine organizations or establishments to prevent or minimize the occurence of mishap or incident at the sea that may be caused by sub-standard ships, unqualified crew or operator error. 

The two perspectives are now converging. Thus,  if we talk about maritime security, we also talk maritime safety inherently.

So, what will Indonesia do in pairing its massive maritime jurisdiction and existing maritime surveillance infrastructures in order to maintain a relatively secured sea? The answer is a system integration to link those electronic “eyes and ears”. In technical side, the idea is applicable and not a big deal for the sofware developers. The only problem is the agencies’ unwillingnes to share or link their assets into a common platform.

An example of comprehensive, institutionalized maritime security cooperation can be found in the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union, or FRONTEX. Since its inception in 2004, FRONTEX has conducted regular joint maritime border control and surveillance operations in European, Atlantic and Mediterranean waters.

We nevertheless still have chance and hope to see an integrated maritime monitoring scheme coming into reality; if not a full-fledged one, at least the basis for that. It arises from PT Electronic Data Interchange Indonesia (EDII) that already obtained an assignment on developing long range identifiaction and tracking of ships or LRIT. Its CEO told me that the company will integrate all existing IT infrastructures operated by various government agencies to track the ships.

“But, we only provide sofware for the mechanism. Whether other agencies willing or not to participate in it, it depends on the lobby made by the Ministry of Transport lobby. LRIT is their project,” he said.*****