Guidelines Encourage Indonesian Legal Due Sea Pollution

The Indonesian government encourages the legal guidelines for countries in dealing with the case of marine pollution.
Pollution from exploration and exploitation of offshore oil rig related responsibilities and compensation.
"Indonesia's fight for the interest on a global level, because Indonesia is very concerned the regulation given the potential for accidents at sea due to the oil spill is large enough with Indonesia's vast marine territory," said Director General of Legal Affairs and International Treaties Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Justice Linggawaty.
Linggawaty express it in the Second International Conference on Liability and Compensation for Oil Pollution Transboundary from Exploration and Exploitation of Offshore Oil, in Jimbaran, Badung regency, Bali, on Wednesday (21/11).
According to him, since two years ago, has proposed to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to make international conventions related to the problem. However, these efforts did not go smoothly because many countries are not willing to make that deal.
Thus further Linga, IMO recommends to make a guide or a model law that it is the input of some States Parties on elements that can be incorporated into the proposal.
The second conference was attended by 12 countries represented not only on behalf of the government but also by the business community, legal experts, non-governmental organizations, and academia.
"We expect other than the position of the country as well as experts to give their views," said Linggawaty.
The conference resulted in the decision would not be binding but produce recommendations that will be taken in the IMO Legal Committee hearing in April 2013.
Deputy Transportation Minister Bambang Susantono said Indonesia is very concerned with the consensus guidelines in order to become stronger given the potential and the strategic position of Indonesia.
"In the process not all countries agree, but at least we want to start that this should be addressed, especially for the island nation. We are very concerned because nearly 70% of Indonesia is water," he said




To the participants, Bambang said the six basic elements that can be discussed at the meeting include the implications of the international law and policy of each country, the rights and obligations of the sea from pollution liability, claims and of procedures, the basic principle is the reference together, compensatory mechanisms, as well as the instruments from the effects of pollution such as fishermen and the environment.
The existence of the conference was considered very important to remember not put emphasis on the value of compensation per se, but rather the impact of marine pollution and damage caused peraiaran ecosystem.
Several incidents of marine pollution caused by oil spills have occurred in Indonesia and other countries such as the incident on the Montara platform in the Timor Sea, which until now is still running and the process of negotiations on the bridge Mocondo incident in the Gulf of Mexico.