Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, visited Batre Dock, Tambakreja, Cilacap district, Central Java, on Wednesday to inspect boats that were damaged in a fire.
After visiting the dock, the minister also had a dialogue with the representatives of the owners of the boats, which caught on fire on the afternoon of May 3, 2022.
“There were 54 boats that were burned, among them, were below 30 GT (gross tonnage) and above 30 GT. I met with two of the boat owners. This is the attention that we must do, especially on its standard operating procedure,” Trenggono told reporters.
Regarding that issue, he asked all dock heads not to repair ships or boats on the dock as boats undergoing repairs must be emptied of fuel and separated from others.
“Discipline is also important. Now that this has already happened—how to handle 554 boat crews who lost their jobs (and help them) to return to work again?” he added.
Trenggono said that based on the information he received, the time required to build one boat unit is around six months.
The government, through the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, will provide assistance with the help of the Marine and Fisheries Business Capital Management Agency (LPMUKP).
“We will try to help through the agency, but there must be a detailed calculation from the boat owners, so we can give them a soft loan,” Trenggono said.
Furthermore, they will be monitored by the Directorate General of Wild Fisheries. “And hopefully, in six months, they can sail and work again,” the minister said.
In addition to distributing essential commodities packages for the fishers, his ministry also froze their boat licenses so that they are not taxed until the boats are repaired.
The fire occurred on Batre Dock at 5:10 p.m. local time on May 3, which started with an explosion.
Source: Antara News