In International Shipping News 10/06/2015
Indonesia and Panama have established cooperation in maritime affairs, especially regarding the management of seaports, vessel registration, the eradication of illegal fishing, the protection of ship crews, the certification of seafarers and the development of bilateral trade.
Foreign Ministry director general for America and Europe Dian Triansyah Djani met with Panama Maritime Affairs Minister Jorge Barakat Pitty in Panama, according to a Foreign Ministry statement received by Antara news agency in London on Monday.
“Indonesia is the largest archipelagic country in the world and its maritime potential needs to be developed in line with the policy of President Joko [Jokowi] Widodo,” Djani said.
Djani added that Indonesia was expected to take advantage of the cooperation as Panama was already well-established in developing its maritime potential.
Pitty said Panama was ready to cooperate and share with Indonesia its experiences in various maritime sectors, such as port management, the protection of seafarers and training.
Panama has 13 ports, of which Cristobal and Balboa are the busiest in Latin America. Cristobal Port serves 2.2 million maritime units per year.
In addition, the maritime potential of Panama is supported by the Panama Canal, connecting the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, which are navigated by about 14,000 vessels per year.
Pitty further said that in order to increase the capacity of ship crews, Panama had offered a training and certification program for Indonesian sailors.
The International Maritime University of Panama has a reputation for educating the best sailors in Panama.
To provide protection for Indonesians abroad, especially in Panama, Indonesia and Panama will explore a cooperation framework called the Mandatory Consular Notification.
According to Indonesian Ambassador to Panama Dwi Ayu Arimami, there are currently 5,421 Indonesians working on Panama-flagged ships.
