Indonesia's House Pushes for Stronger Maritime Safety Rules After Accidents

Indonesia's House of Representatives is advocating for a significant overhaul of maritime safety regulations, spurred by a series of sea transport accidents over the past year. The focus is on reinforcing the national shipping safety system through stricter oversight of vessel seaworthiness and the refinement of existing rules.

Lawmaker Hamka B. Kady emphasized the need to go beyond merely investigating accident causes. He called for a comprehensive improvement in the governance of maritime safety to ensure more effective supervision. This includes strengthening regulations and enhancing their enforcement on the ground. A key proposal involves amending the Minister of Transportation Regulation No. 28 of 2022, which currently governs the issuance of Sailing Permits (SPB) based on a captain's declaration, cargo manifests, and crew lists.

Kady argued that the current mechanism needs bolstering with physical ship inspections before a sailing permit is issued. This, he stated, would more thoroughly guarantee a vessel's seaworthiness. "Strengthening is needed so that the process of issuing a Sailing Permit further guarantees safety aspects and aligns with the mandate of the law," Kady said.

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Strengthening is needed so that the process of issuing a Sailing Permit further guarantees safety aspects and aligns with the mandate of the law.

The lawmaker highlighted that the recent amendment to the Pelayaran Law (Law No. 66 of 2024) empowers port authorities, or syahbandar, to oversee ship seaworthiness, port safety, passenger embarkation and disembarkation, cargo handling, and dangerous goods transport. He stressed that state responsibility, through the syahbandar, must complement the captain's responsibility. "The state's responsibility through the syahbandar to ensure maritime safety must not diminish. Physical ship inspection must be an integral part of the Sailing Permit issuance process so that the state truly ensures every operating ship meets all safety requirements," Kady added.

Beyond regulatory improvements, Kady also urged for increased field inspections, enhanced capacity and integrity of port authorities, the adoption of digital technology for ship monitoring, and consistent sanctions for safety violations. These measures, he believes, are crucial for building a safer and more reliable shipping system, which in turn supports inter-regional connectivity and smooth logistics distribution.

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The state's responsibility through the syahbandar to ensure maritime safety must not diminish. Physical ship inspection must be an integral part of the Sailing Permit issuance process so that the state truly ensures every operating ship meets all safety requirements.