Press Release from the Norwegian Embassy in Indonesia
Norway and Indonesia has signed an agreement regarding Norwegian assistance to establishing a system for monitoring the vessel traffic off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, in the northern part of the Malacca Straits.
The overall goal of the cooperation is to improve maritime safety in coastal waters of the northern part of the Malacca Straits and to enhance the search and rescue organization in this region.
The total value of the project is approximately 15 million USD, and contains both a loan and a grant contribution. An international tender for the development project will be made public shortly. The Indonesian Directorate General for Sea Transportation will be the implementing Agency of the project.
His Excellency Ambassador Eivind S. Homme signed the agreement on behalf of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, whereas Indonesia’s signature was provided by Director General of Debt Management of the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Rahmat Waluyanto.
“As one of the largest shipping Nations in the world, Norway is pleased to work together with Indonesia and provide such assistance”, said ambassador Homme. “A great number of ships, including Norwegian, travel through this vast sea line every day, and an improved monitoring capability will benefit Indonesia as well as the International shipping community”.
On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Indonesia, Director General of Debt Management, Ministry of Finance, Mr Rahmat Waluyanto, extended his appreciation to the Government of Norway for its financial assistance to this project which is urgently required for establish a traffic monitoring system to cover the coastal waters of Indonesian part of Malacca Strait.
“Since the marine environment along the coast of Indonesia and the waters immediately offshore make a significant contribution to the economy of the country, any maritime accident involving an escape of oil will have major economic repercussions and could seriously impact on the national economy”, said the Director General.
