Customs seized 63.8 tons of smuggled ammonium nitrate on a boat bound for eastern Indonesia.
The chemical compound is a fertilizer but can be an ingredient in explosives, which authorities say would be used for illegal blast fishing.
Customs and Excise Director General Heru Pambudi said the ammonium nitrate was meant to be smuggled from Malaysia into Southeastern Maluku.
“Hundreds of sacks containing explosive materials were found on the boat, the KM. Hamdan V, in the Bali Sea,” Pambudi said on Monday, as quoted by Merdeka.
The boat’s captain, JDN, could not show any documentation for the chemical compound on the boat’s manifest, Pambudi said.
The customs director estimates that the 63.8 tons of fertilizer, which apparently originated in China, is worth around Rp 8.2 billion.
“It was from China, in transit in Malaysia. Then sent to eastern Indonesia, destined for Maluku. They sent it in an unauthorized manner. They’ve conceded that it was for blast fishing,” Pambudi explained.
“Due to the high volume, of 63.8 tons of ammonium nitrate, it could potentially damage a marine area of 5283.84 hectares,” he added.
Illegal blast fishing is a destructive practice, harmful to Indonesia’s diverse underwater ecosystems and extensive, gorgeous reefs. It has unfortunately been a widespread technique in the country for over the past 50 years.
A Malaysian boat with an estimated 30 tons of ammonium nitrate was similarly stopped in Bali waters back in Sept. 2016.
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