Japan has handed over a fishery patrol vessel named Hakurei Maru to Indonesia.(Photo: Antaranews) Jakarta (VNA) - Japan has handed over a fishery patrol vessel named Hakurei Maru to Indonesia, along with maintenance and equipment fund worth 2.2 billion JPY, according to ANTARA News.
Director of Asia Pacific Affairs of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry Santo Darmosumarto and Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Masafumi Ishii signed an exchange of notes marking the handover of the patrol vessel here on February 14.
Speaking at the ceremony, Economic Counselor of the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta Shimizu Kazuhiko said Indonesia suffers losses due to illegal fishing but the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries has no a vessel capable of patrolling (the country’s) sea.
That is the reason why the Japanese fishery bureau decided to hand over the fishery patrol vessel to Indonesia with the aim of “improving the authorized agency’s capability to patrol fishing in the Indonesian sea,” he said, adding that the grant would contribute to maintaining economic and social stability and increasing the people’s welfare.
According to Kazuhiko, after March 2020, the Japanese side will provide training on the repair, use and sailing of the vessel. The vessel will be handed over to the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry in 2021”.
The grant is the first of its kind the Japanese government has extended to another country, he said.
It reflects efforts to step up the capacity of law enforcement in the Indonesian maritime territory that will help realise the concept of “free and open Indian Ocean.”
The vessel, which was manufactured in 1993, is 63.37 meters long and has international standard tonnage of 741 tonnes. It has a maximum carrying capacity of 29 people./.
VNA
