Govt looks to hone maritime development

JAKARTA. The government will sharpen its program of maritime development in order to generate results in the next three years.

The determination was reached in a meeting between Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Indroyono Susilo and National Development Planning Minister Andrinof Chaniago in Jakarta on Thursday.

In order to support the settlement of the international sea boundary, continental boundary, exclusive economic zones and 350-mile extension zones, the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) is making an inventory of all sea-survey projects and carrying out research on hydro-oceanography, sea geology and sea biology.

Indroyono and Andrinof also agreed to begin developing a maritime technological park in Penajam Paser Utara regency, East Kalimantan, which would b linked to the oil and gas industry. Several countries, including France, are interested in the project, the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Ministry said in a statement Friday.

In connection with the plan to develop the Sorong region in West Papua as a special economic area, the two ministries will hold a feasibility study to be presented in the second half of the year.

The two ministries have also agreed to prepare sustainable development goals for post 2015 (SDG Post 2015) ahead of a UN General Assembly meeting in New York at year’s end.

The draft of SDG Post-2015 covers 17 targets, including maritime affairs.