Buku Baru: Batas Maritim Antarnegara

Masih ingatkah Anda?

1. Kasus Pulau Sipadan dan Ligitan
2. Kasus Ambalat
3. Reklamasi Pantai Singapura dan runyamnya urusan batas maritim dengan Indonesia
4. Pelanggaran batas di Selat Malaka
5. Penangkapan nelayan Indonesia oleh Australia
6. dan banyak lagi

Buku ini akan membantu Anda memahami persoalan di atas.

Ringkasan
Buku ini disusun dalam beberapa bab yang dikemas sedemikian rupa sehingga memudahkan pemahaman. Bab 1 memuat pengantar batas maritim antarnegara, berguna bagi mereka yang benar-benar masih awam tentang topik ini. Bab 2 mulai memperkenalkan delimitasi batas maritim dengan contoh dan ilustrasi yang cukup mudah dipahami. Hal teknis mulai dibahas di Bab 3 tentang garis pangkal sebagai acuan dalam melakukan klaim maritim. Dalam bab ini dibahas jenis-jenis garis pangkal dan karakternya.

Bab 4 membahas yurisdiksi maritim yang bisa diklaim oleh suatu negara pantai. Bab ini membahas jenis, lebar, dan aturan yang berlaku pada masing-masing yurisdiksi. Pada Bab 5 dibahas prinsip-prinsip delimitasi. Inti dari bab ini adalah prinsip pelaksanaan delimitasi jika terjadi tumpang tindih klaim maritim oleh dua atau lebih negara bertetangga. Delimitasi ini mengacu kepada hukum internasional dan praktik negara. Setelah itu, Bab 6 membahas hal yang cukup teknis terkait metode delimitasi batas maritim. Dalam bab ini dibicarakan beberapa metode yang digunakan untuk menarik garis batas maritim serta pertimbangan-pertimbangannya.

Bab 7 secara khusus membahas aspek teknis delimitasi batas maritim yang meliputi penggunaan peta dan aspek geodesi termasuk datum vertikal dan horisontal. Pertimbangan-pertimbangan utama dalam delimitasi batas maritim dibahas pada Bab 8 yang intinya mengemukakan faktor yang relevan dan tidak relevan dalam menentukan batas maritim final. Bab 9 kembali membahas hal yang sangat teknis sifatnya yaitu data, informasi dan perangkat lunak yang diperlukan dalam melakukan delimitasi batas maritim. Selanjutnya Bab 10 secara khusus membahas peran ilmu dan teknologi geospasial dan pakar teknis dalam delimitasi batas maritim. Bab ini memperkenalkan survei pemetaan; fotogrametri dan penginderaan juah; penentuan posisi berbasis satelit; dan sistem informasi geografis. Bab 11 membahas institusi pemerintahan dan non pemerintahan yang berperan dalam delimitasi batas maritim di Indonesia dan beberapa negara tetangga.

Bab 12 memberi gambaran tentang batas maritim Indonesia dengan negara tetangga. Di sini disampaikan secara umum status batas maritim yang sudah maupun belum disepakati dengan kesepuluh negara tetangga. Bab 13 memaparkan kasus-kasus batas maritim yang terjadi di perairan nusantara selama beberapa kurun waktu terakhir termasuk pelajaran yang bisa diambil dari beberapa kasus tersebut. Bab 14 sedikit istimewa karena membahas studi kasus delimitasi batas maritim antara Indonesia dan Timor Leste. Perlu diperhatikan bahwa itu adalah murni kajian penulis dan tidak mencerminkan pandangan Indonesia maupun Timor Leste. Sangat mungkin Pemerintah Indonesia maupun Timor Leste tidak setuju dengan padangan penulis perihal batas maritim antara kedua negara. Bab 15 adalah bab terakhir yang mencoba memberikan gambaran tantangan ke depan untuk Indonesia.

Daftar isi buku dapat dilihat di sini (html) atau di
sini (pdf). Rangkuman bisa juga dilihat di sini (pdf)

Endorsemen
“… buku ini baik untuk dibaca para akademisi, dosen, mahasiswa, dan praktisi perundingan batas yang erat kaitannya dengan Hukum Laut. Dosen dan mahasiswa di Fakultas Teknik (khususnya Teknik Geodesi), Fakultas Hukum, dan fakultas lain yang terkait dengan Hukum Laut disarankan untuk memiliki buku ini. Selain itu buku ini baik untuk dimiliki dan dibaca oleh para pejabat teknis perbatasan di instansi-instansi seperti BAKOSURTANAL, DEPLU, DEPHAN, DEPDAGRI, DKP, DESDM, dan TNI-AL.”
(Dr. Ir. Sobar Sutisna, M.Surv.Sc, Kepala Pusat Pemetaan Batas Wilayah, Bakosurtanal).

"Pembahasan batas maritim yang lengkap dalam buku ini menjadikannya sangat penting untuk dibaca. Dengan gaya penulisan yang sederhana, maka buku ini dapat dibaca oleh mereka yang awan sekalipun. Buku ini juga perlu dibaca oleh mereka yang berkecimpung dalam aktivitas delimitasi batas wilayah laut, dan dapat dijadikan referensi bagi kalangan akademisi, seperti mahasiswa dan dosen."
(Dr. Koesrianti, SH, LL.M, Dosen Fakultas Hukum Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya)

Fakta Buku
Tahun: 2007
Tebal: 204 + xxiii
Penerbit: Gadjah Mada University Press
Bahasa: Indonesia
Harga: Rp 52.500,-


Informasi Lebih Lanjut

I Made Andi Arsana
madeandi@ugm.ac.id, http://madeandi.staff.ugm.ac.id/

Gadjah Mada University Press
gmupress@ugm.ac.id, http://gmup.ugm.ac.id/

Jurusan Teknik Geodesi dan Geomatika UGM
Att. Ir. Sumaryo, M.Si (0274 – 520226, geodesi@ugm.ac.id)

More...

Naming Indonesia's islands has implications for sovereignty

Opinion and Editorial by I Made Andi Arsana on August 20, 2007 in . More...

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Toponymy and Extented Continental Shelf: Sovereignty and Sovereign Rights

Kompas (24 July 2007) covered an interesting news regarding the intention of Indonesian government to register thousands of its islands to the United Nations. It was said that Indonesian government is ready for a submission to the UN after verifying at least 3,046 islands in 11 provinces. The verification also includes the activities to name thousands of previously nameless islands across the archipelago. This month, it is targeted that all islands in Indonesia's 15 provinces can be registered to the UN and the project that started in 2005 is expected to finish this year.

For the laymen in this country, it has been long believed that Indonesia has more than 17 thousands island from Sabang to Merauke (west-east) and From Rote to Miangas (south-north). A –so called- official sources states that there are precisely 17,504 islands in the archipelago. If the data is correct and has gained recognition from the international community including the UN, why would Indonesia need to register their island? If it is true that island naming was the project, didn’t they have name before? This should be very interesting.

Yes, it has to be admitted that we have not yet had names for every single island that we claim to be part of Indonesia. An official states that there are more than 9000 nameless islands in Indonesia and has to be named before registration to the UN (The Jakarta Post, June 11, 2007). This is the fact and this is what we are currently doing. Toponymy is the term for island naming and it involves certain steps and procedures as endorsed by the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN). The twenty-fourth Session will be done in New York on 20 and 31 August 2007 and therefore Indonesia has to submit list of island names beforehand.

Article 121 of the United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS), which Indonesia is a party to, provides the definition of islands. In order to be recognized as an island, a feature in the sea has to meet several criteria such as naturally formed, always appear on the surface of the sea even during high tide, and it has to have capacity to sustain human habitation. Surprisingly, as highlighter by Alex SW Retraubun (Department of Ocean Affairs and Fisheries), around three thousand islands proposed by local government did not meet these criteria in verification. This mean that the numbers of islands in Indonesia could be less than that we used to believe.

Notwithstanding the number of the islands, naming the unnamed islands for Indonesia is really strategic. This is considered as the first important step in realizing the intension for developing and maintaining small islands. While it is important for economic development, the more significant impact is to the national sovereignty. It has been evident that this country has been facing many problems concerning sovereignty and sovereign rights. What the government has done to those islands seem to be a very good response. This is an addition to the President Decree concerning the management and developments of small outer islands in Indonesia (PP No 78/2005).

Thu Indonesia’s outer islands play important roles regarding Indonesia’s territorial waters and maritime boundaries with neighboring States. On many of those islands, basepoints of Indonesian baseline were placed. Baseline is the line from which maritime jurisdictions (territorial sea, exclusive economic zones, and continental shelf) are measured. This means that the existence of the small outer islands is vital. This is the forward point from which our maritime claim is measured and maritime boundaries with our neighbors may be constructed. Simply speaking, the toponymic activity (especially for the small outer islands) contributes significantly to the Indonesian economic development, sovereignty, and sovereign rights.

With regard to sovereignty and sovereign rights, it seems that there are tendencies where coastal States intent to claim more and more maritime area. Russia, for example, is currently conducting an expedition to the North Pole to claim the no man’s land. Around 50 scientists were sent off to the North Pole and they plan to place a titanium capsule on the North Pole’s seabed with a Russian Flag in it. This will be an evidence of Russia’s claim over. Similarly, Australia declared its claim over continental shelf in 2004 encompassing the seabed area in the Antarctic. This is another indication that there are “creeping jurisdictions of coastal States”. Is there any legal basis for their maneuver?

What Russia is doing sparks controversy all over the globe. However, there is legal reason for the movement. It is the UNCLOS that enables coastal States to claim continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles (M), which is also called extended continental shelf (ECS). Being State parties to the UNCLOS, Russia and Australia have the chance to submit their claim over ECS to the Commission on the Limits of Continental Shelf (CLCS). Therefore we could not really say, at least at the first sight, that they are demonstrating greediness. They have the rights to lodge the claim, but it is then CLCS’ responsibility to consider and make recommendation concerning the claim. It will never be valid until it is recommended by the commission. In other words, ECS claim cannot be done unilaterally.

Similarly, Indonesia also has chances for submitting ECS to CLCS. The deadline for the submission will be on 13 May 2009 and Indonesia is currently conducting serious preparation. It involves serious and careful technical, scientific and legal consideration in order for the submission to be accepted. In addition, the cost for submitting ECS including preparation is undoubtedly not cheap. It naturally begs a question whether it is worth it? This might be difficult to answer. It is not something that can be judged instantly. By securing more continental shelves, at least there are hopes for economic advantages in the future as continental shelf potentially contains oil and gas deposits. In addition, the claim can be a declaration of our national sovereign rights.

What Indonesia, Russia, Australia and other coastal States are doing is another manifestation of declaring their existence. There is one important message they are delivering beyond the economic reason: securing the sovereignty and sovereign rights.

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Creeping Maritime Jurisdiction to the North Pole and Antarctic

In this last two weeks the press around the globe talks about the Russian expedition to the North Pole. Russia sent its 50 scientists to the North Pole on 24 July 2007 for investigation in relation to its claim over the no-man’s area. Russia will also place a titanium capsule on the seabed with a Russian flag in it, staking its claim. Notwithstanding the controversy it may cause, this is considered as the greatest North Pole Expedition, ever.

Reactions from other States are predictable: disagreement. Unsupportive reactions are almost everywhere. Many opine that this is an indication of Russia’s intention to regain its ‘glory’. Will this lead the world to a new kind of cold war? We can only guess.

Meanwhile, Australia also does similar movement. It is claiming the Antarctic as part of its continental shelf. Australia officially declared its claim at the end of 2004 and also has, by now, been receiving unsupportive comments from other States including the US, Japan, and Timor Leste.

Is it true that Russia is claiming the North Pole and Australia is fighting for the Antarctic? If so, is there any legal base or it is just another manifestation of greediness? Let’s have a look at this from a different angel.

We are talking about the claim of maritime jurisdiction by coastal States. It is the United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982, where Russia and Australia are parties to, which governs coastal States’ maritime jurisdiction. The Convention asserts that coastal States are entitled to several maritime jurisdictions measured from their baselines, including territorial sea (12 nautical miles, M), exclusive economic zone (200 M) and continental shelf (CS). CS is seabed area where coastal States can exercise their sovereign rights for natural resources exploitation. Oil and gas are apparently the main reason behind the claim over CS, considering that the seabed area potentially reserves a lot of oil and gas deposits. In the North Pole, for example, around 10 billion tons of equivalent fuel is possible for exploitation.

A coastal State is entitled to continental shelf beyond its territorial sea limit to the outer edge of its continental margin, or up to a distance of 200 M from its baseline in case the outer edge of its continental margin does not reach that distance. In addition, article 76 of the Convention also enables coastal States to claim continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles (extended continental shelf, ECS). For this purpose, coastal States should make their submission coupled with supporting data to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLSC). In other words, claim beyond 200 M cannot be made unilaterally and it has to obtain the commission’s recommendation in order to be valid. The commission consists of 21 experts in the fields of geodesy, geology, hydrography, and geophysics, coming from the UNCLOS States Parties. The latest election was in June 2007 serving for a five-year term.

Submitting the outer limits of ECS is by no mean an easy task. An acceptable claim should be accompanied by data describing the position of foot of continental slope (FOS) and sedimentary rock thickness of the seabed area of interest. The outer limits of the submitted CS should be the line delineating 1% sediment thickness or the line with a distance of 60 nautical miles from the FOS. In addition, UNCLOS also asserts that the outer limits of CS should not exceed 350 M from the baseline or the line of 100 M from the 2,500 meter isobaths (water depth).

For those whose expertise is not in the relevant area (i.e. geodesy, geology, hydrography, geophysics), it might be difficult to understand this technical delineation procedure. However, it is, at least, now clear that claiming ECS requires coastal States to go through a highly complicated process and yet it has to be recommended by the Commission in order for the outer limits to be final and binding. Placing a national flag has nothing to do with the claim, even though it is not going to say “don’t do that”. Analogously, the US did leave its flag on the moon back in 1969, but it does not mean that the Moon belongs to the US.ate

Russia and Australia, in fact, are claiming ECS. What they are doing is legally acceptable as UNCLOS facilitates them to do so. Russia, for its part, submitted its first claim in 2001 but does not seem to satisfy the Commission. This current expedition is to obtain stronger technical evidences for resubmission in 2009. Meanwhile, a similar claim submitted by Australia in 2004 also encompasses the seabed in Antarctic. No recommendation has been made by the commission so far.

In conclusion, Russia and Australia may legally submit their claim over the North Pole and Antarctic but they still have to provide technical evidence for their entitlement. It is then the task of CLCS to make recommendation. Without recommendation, no claim is valid. In addition, the existing treaty, such as the Antarctic Treaty should also be taken into account.

With regard to Russia’s claim, it is worth noting that Russia is not the only States that may claim ECS in the Arctic region as the it is surrounded by five States, namely Russia, Norway, Denmark, Canada, the US (in clockwise order). Russia’s claim to the seabed has to consider the entitlement of the four other States. As opined by McNab (2004), it will be good if the polar States can make a coordinated of even a joint submission to the Commission. If a submission made by one of the polar States is unacceptable to other States, the Commission will not make any recommendation and leave it until multilateral agreements is achieved among the States in question.

In other perspective, the ‘aggressiveness’ of Russia and Australia is also an alarm and motivation for other States. Some American politicians, for example, encourage the US senate to ratify the UNCLOS. By being the party to UNCLOS, the US can at least take part in saying “no” to excessive claim by coastal States, as implied by Senator Richard Lugar.

Similar to Russia and Australia, which intend to extend their maritime claims up to the North Pole and Antarctic, Indonesia too has a chance for extension in some locations. Their maneuver, to an extent, may motivate Indonesia to speed up the currently ongoing preparation. It might not be for the proof of glory, at least there exist reasons of economics and sovereign rights for which a submission should be made. Let’s see what may happen.
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Thousand of Indonesian Islands are ready to be registered to the UN

Baca versi Bahasa Indonesia
Around 3.000 Islands do not meet International Standard

Sorong, Kompas – Indonesian government has verified at least 3,046 island in its 11 provinces. In August 2007, it is targeted that all islands in Indonesia's 15 provinces can be registered to the UN.

The director of Small Island Management of Dept. of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (DKP), Alex SW Retraubun, stated this at a workshop in Sorong, Papua, Monday (23/7). Alex stated that the verification of islands' name is expected to be finished this year. The project started in 2005.

Alex informed that surveys have been carried out for 30 of 33 provinces in Indonesia. Surveys need to be conducted in three more provinces: Bali, Jakarta, and West Papua. From those 30 provinces, verifications have been completed for 11 provinces. Number of islands verified: South Sumatera (23 islands), Bangka Belitung (363), West Java (10), central Java (33), Yogyakarta (28), East Java (411), North Sulawesi (258), Gorontalo (123), Maluku (471), and North Maluku (784 islands).

"Even though we found and named new islands, verification showed that the number of islands, so far, decreases compared the number of islands we previously knew. The number is also smaller than that proposed by regional governments as many features do not meet criteria of islands defined by UNCLOS" said Alex SW Retraubun.

"It is not impossible that we will come up with smaller number of island than 17,504, the number we generally believe now", said Alex.

More...