REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesian Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources Susi Pudjiastuti said here on Wednesday that nearly all foreign ships operating in the country's waters were problematic.

"As much as 99 percent of foreign ships (operating in Indonesian sea territory) are problematic," she stated.

According to indications, around 70 percent of the owners of foreign ships do not have tax payers' numbers (NPWP) and 40 percent of the companies are not registered with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, she added.

Pudjiastuti also pointed out that there were indications that these ships were involved in smuggling.

In view of that, the minister affirmed that she would replace the ships with genuine ones belonging to Indonesian fishermen in line with the work program of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources.

The ministry has planned to distribute ships to fishermen in various regions in the country.

It has confirmed that 870 ships of the 1,300 foreign ships failed verifications with regard to a moratorium on ship licensing.

"As many as 870 foreign ships that were verified failed inspections because they were found to have committed serious violations. All of them were found to have carried out illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing," Pudjiastuti noted at a coordination meeting to evaluate the handling of illegal fishing at the office of the coordinating minister for maritime affairs here on Wednesday.

She added that their violations ranged from falsifying tax payers' numbers to arbitrarily conducting transshipment.

The moratorium on ship licensing, which was started on November 3, 2014, will end on April 30, 2015.

Although it will not be extended, the minister said she will take firm law enforcement measures and bring into effect all licensing regulations.

"Right now, I see no need to extend it. But we will surely frame regulations to implement tight supervision," she remarked.

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