On September 8, the Indonesian Navy officially launched the National Movement for a Clean Sea, which brings together many public authorities and institutions. The kick-off was spectacular: nothing less than the largest waste collection operation at sea in the country’s history, taking place simultaneously on 77 sites throughout Indonesia, including in small islands!
The SeaCleaners was honored to be invited to this event, and to meet with all Indonesian officials and governmental actors involved in this large-scale program.
The objective of the Movement is to federate and mobilize all the components of the nation to fight jointly and in a massive way against the problem of marine waste and to preserve the sea and its resources.
It will be based on two pillars:
- The organization of regular floating waste collection activities on land and at sea by the National Navy.
- The launch of a wave of awareness throughout Indonesia to “love the sea, don’t dirty it and keep it clean”, including the creation of Smart Houses next to the maritime bases, which will be places of education, awareness and dissemination of tools to teach fishing communities to preserve the marine ecosystem sustainably.
Inaugurated by the Minister for the Coordination of Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, accompanied by the Minister of Transport, Budi Karya Sumadi, Navy Admiral Yudo Margono, the Deputy Governor of Jakarta, and the Directors General of several ministries, the National Clean Sea Movement is directly inspired by the priorities of the President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo, who stated in 2014, “we must work as hard as possible to restore Indonesia as a maritime country. Oceans, seas, straits and bays are the future of our civilization. We have turned our back on the ocean for too long. It is now time for us to return to it.”