Indonesia plans to provide 4,582 modern fishing vessels to fishers for free by 2029 under a fleet modernization program.
The program will require an estimated IDR 234.55 trillion (USD 13.01 billion, EUR 11.57 billion) in investment, according to state news agency ANTARA. The free vessel program is expanded from an earlier plan to build 1,582 fishing vessels, with the government now providing details of the funding requirements and arrangements for the larger fleet.
Mochamad Idnillah, the director of fishing vessels and fishing gear at the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries said all 4,582 vessels would be provided free to fishers, regardless of their funding sources.
The program comprises two components. The first covers 1,582 vessels of either 30, 200, or 500 gross tons (GT), to be built through cooperation with the U.K. at an estimated cost of IDR 40.43 trillion (USD 2.24 billion, EUR 1.99 billion).
The remaining 3,000 vessels, ranging from 30 GT to larger industrial fishing boats, are planned to be procured through state-owned PT Agrinas Jaladri Nusantara, requiring an estimated investment of IDR 194.12 trillion (USD 10.76 billion, EUR 9.57 billion).
Idnillah said the U.K.-backed component had received financial support, while funding for the remaining 3,000 vessels could come from domestic loans.
The government will initially prioritize the construction of 1,000 vessels of 30 GT for distribution to coastal communities, particularly those participating in the Red and White Fishing Villages initiative.
The ministry estimates that the modernized fleet could land 1.05 million metric tons (MT) of seafood annually, worth IDR 28.5 trillion (USD 1.58 billion, EUR 1.41 billion).
The steel- and aluminum-hulled vessels are expected to have improved refrigeration and storage systems, which will reduce losses after harvesting and maintain higher catch quality.
Around 91 percent of Indonesia's existing fishing fleet consists of wooden vessels, many of which lack adequate refrigeration and storage facilities, according to the ministry.
Preparations for the U.K.-supported vessels, involving British engineering company Babcock International, are still at the design and contract finalization stages, ANTARA reported.
Idnillah said his ministry is also drafting a presidential instruction to designate the fleet modernization program as a national strategic project. It has issued a ministerial decree establishing a fishing vessel modernization task force.
