Indonesia's Natuna Sea Security Needs System
Despite new ships and partnerships, Indonesia's maritime security in the North Natuna Sea is hampered by slow reporting and coordination, allowing illegal
Indonesia requires a fundamental overhaul of its maritime security system to effectively protect the North Natuna Sea from illegal fishing. According to an analysis from The Diplomat, new patrol vessels and international partnerships are insufficient without faster, more integrated procedures for reporting and responding to intrusions.
Persistent Challenges in a Contested Zone
The North Natuna Sea is a commercial fishing hotspot with over 750,000 tons of fish stock. It is also an area where China's sweeping South China Sea claims overlap Indonesia's exclusive economic zone. Despite expanded patrols by Indonesia’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), illegal activities continue.
The government has not started from zero. Since confrontations near the Natuna Islands in 2019-2020, initiatives have included expanding Navy and Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) patrols, incorporating community surveillance through the POKMASWAS program, and distributing communications gear to fishermen. These efforts, however, remain unevenly distributed and poorly connected to verification and enforcement agencies.
Critical Capacity and Coordination Gaps
Substantial limitations persist. In 2025, only three of seven KKP patrol vessels assigned to the broader WPPNRI 711 area could reach the North Natuna Sea. Facilities for impounding vessels and accommodating crews are also lacking. Jakarta began addressing some shortages in July by announcing ten new Class I surveillance vessels and expanding the PSDKP pier in Batam.
International partners are investing in Indonesia's maritime capacity. Japan is funding a Bakamla offshore patrol vessel with a 9.053 billion yen grant, scheduled for 2028 delivery, and provides training. Australia's strategic partnership plan includes fisheries surveillance cooperation, information sharing, and coordinated patrols.
Yet, a stark example from June illustrates the core problem. Local fishermen spotted foreign vessels conducting illegal fishing within Indonesia's EEZ. They reported it, and the Navy deployed a warship the next day. By the time it arrived, the vessels were gone.
The Need for an Integrated Reporting Chain
The legal foundation for a better system exists. Government Regulation No. 13 of 2022 provides for an integrated national maritime security information system. Bakamla Regulation No. 2 of 2024 directs the system to improve connectivity and accelerate incident reporting. What is missing are standardized operational procedures to ensure reports quickly reach enforcement assets.
The analysis proposes that Bakamla’s command-and-control center maintain a joint process with liaison officers from KKP, the Navy, the Water Police, and local authorities. This center would act as a dedicated maritime desk with a single radio frequency and hotline for fishermen's reports.
Jakarta should also create a Natuna-wide inventory to identify needs and distribution gaps. New hubs, capitalizing on investments in Natuna Fishing Villages, could distribute communication materials and provide training on vessel identification and report standardization.
Aligning International Support and Regional Tests
International assistance should focus on strengthening this reporting chain. Japanese training could develop watch officers to process reports. Australian information sharing and exercises could test the full sequence from a fisherman's report to deployment. Future exercises should measure reporting, verification, and response times.
Once a domestic system functions, it could become a foundation for regional cooperation. A proposed exercise with Malaysia and Singapore would start with a simulated fishing vessel report, test Indonesia's verification and response, and then practice transferring the contact if the vessel crosses a border. Indonesia could use its role as secretariat of the 11-country Regional Plan of Action to Combat IUU Fishing to promote common reporting formats and standardized cross-border procedures.
More patrol vessels grant greater reach. They are ineffective, however, if they consistently arrive after the target vanishes. The true measure of progress is the time elapsed between a fisherman spotting an intrusion and an Indonesian agency directing an asset toward it. The analysis suggests the Prabowo administration should make the North Natuna Sea the pilot for answering that question, directing agencies into a single reporting chain with a common protocol.
