News

Indonesia’s government revealed the
newly-designated “North Natuna Sea” on 14 July 2017 when it unveiled a new
officical map of the National Archipelago. This results from recent negotiations with
Southeast Asian neighbours and the 2016 findings of the Permanent Court of
Arbitration at The Hague (Netherlands) on the dispute in the South China
Sea between China and Philippines. However, this is not the first time a country has re-named parts of the South China Sea. In 2011, the Philippines named an area of sea within its exclusive economic zone the “West Philippine Sea” and, for a long time now, Vietnam has been calling an area of disputed sea the “East Sea”.

North Natuna Sea already features
prominently on Indonesian charts and overlaps areas of China’s claimed sea territory. Waters surrounding Indonesia’s Natuna Islands hold reserves of natural
gas and fishery resources. In recent years there have been skirmishes between
Indonesian coast guard forces and Chinese fishing vessels or Chinese coast
guard ships within the disputed zone. The northern waters off Indonesia’s
Natuna archipelago are part of the country’s exclusive economic zone, and run
northward for 200 nautical miles.

The Indonesian Navy has stepped up
patrols around the Natuna islands in recent years. In 2016,  it
interdicted a number of Chinesse vessels for illegal fishing. Oil and gas
exploration are well established in the area. The new name is based on the
related North Natuna Block and will be notified to International Hydrographic
Organization.

Information provided by Budd Indonesia

budd.indonesia@budd-pni.com