The activity represents a collaborative effort involving Bali FORDA, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, the Ministry of Manpower, and Destructive Fishing Watch Indonesia.
MARITIMEPOSTS.COM – Benoa, August 28, 2026 – Bali is one of Indonesia’s key hubs for capture fisheries and tuna exports.
Benoa is widely known as a major landing port for tuna longline fleets operating in the Indian Ocean and as one of the country’s main tuna export hubs.
The port has even been described as Indonesia’s second-largest export distribution hub for fisheries products after Muara Baru in Jakarta, with around 2,000 workers involved across various points of the value chain, from vessel operations to processing and product distribution.
Benoa’s significant contribution to tuna exports and industrial fishing activities makes the port a strategic location for ensuring decent work practices and the protection of fisheries workers.
In an effort to ensure decent working conditions aboard fishing vessels, the Bali Provincial Regional Forum for the Protection of Fisheries Workers and Fishers (FORDA Bali) conducted joint inspections aboard fishing vessels operating at Benoa Port from August 26 to 28, 2026.
The activity was carried out through a joint collaboration involving FORDA Bali, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), the Ministry of Manpower, and Destructive Fishing Watch Indonesia (DFW Indonesia).
Over the three-day activity, the inspection team—which included representatives from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, the Ministry of Manpower, the Fisheries Harbourmaster, the Bali Provincial Manpower and Transmigration Office, the Bali Provincial Marine Affairs and Fisheries Office, the Denpasar Center for Health and Quarantine, Benoa Marine and Fisheries Resources Surveillance officers, and BPJS Employment—examined the working and living conditions of crew members aboard four vessels preparing to depart from Benoa Port.
The onboard inspections focused on the fulfillment of workers’ rights, occupational safety and health (OSH), the adequacy of accommodation, and compliance with fisheries regulations.
The inspections also examined the broader employment journey of fisheries workers, from the recruitment of fishing vessel crew members to onboard accommodation and occupational safety equipment, as well as crew wage systems.
This joint inspection activity represents one of the implementations of the Bali FORDA Regional Action Plan, particularly as a key action plan of FORDA Working Group 2, which focuses on joint labor supervision.
Mijil, Head of the Crewing Working Team at the Directorate of Fishing Vessels and Fishing Gear, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, stated that the pilot implementation of the joint inspection was part of the Ministry’s efforts to carry out the mandate of Presidential Regulation No. 25 of 2026 on the Ratification of ILO Convention C188.
Several provisions contained in the convention had previously been incorporated into Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Regulation No. 4 of 2026.
“The implementation of this joint inspection is not only a requirement under Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Regulation No. 4 of 2026, but also a concrete step by the MMAF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Manpower and the Bali Regional Forum, to carry out the mandate of regulations concerning the protection of fisheries workers. It also marks an initial step toward implementing ILO Convention C188,” Mijil said.
This was not the first time joint inspections had been conducted.
Previously, the MMAF and the Ministry of Manpower had also carried out joint supervision in several regions, including North Sulawesi, Central Java, East Java, and Jakarta. However, those activities were conducted before Indonesia ratified ILO Convention C188.
“Although this is not the first joint inspection to be conducted, the establishment of an MoU between the MMAF and the Ministry of Manpower concerning joint supervision, together with the ratification of ILO Convention C188, has created opportunities for labor inspectors to carry out more intensive supervision in this sector,” said Prima, a representative of the Directorate of Labor Inspection and Occupational Safety and Health.
During this inspection pilot, in addition to using guidelines and checklists adapted from labor inspection guidance developed jointly by the MMAF, the Ministry of Manpower, and various stakeholders, the inspection team also developed and tested a digital tool expected to make it easier for inspectors to conduct examinations and determine the risk level of each vessel inspected.
The digital tool is expected to become a standard instrument used by inspection teams at both the national and regional levels.
The digital joint inspection system will later be handed over by DFW Indonesia to the MMAF and the Ministry of Manpower for further development and integration into a centralized vessel risk monitoring system that can be accessed in real time.
“We hope that with this digital system, inspection teams will no longer inspect vessels randomly, but instead prioritize inspections based on the risk levels displayed on the system dashboard,” said Imam Trihatmadja, Program Director of DFW Indonesia.
On the occasion, Abdullah, a fishing vessel crew member encountered during the inspection, expressed his appreciation for the activity.
“The inspection is a good thing. Although we were quite nervous while being inspected, it helps us understand what is still lacking and what needs to be improved,” Abdullah said.
The findings and recommendations from the inspection, in addition to becoming part of the joint inspection team’s report, will also be conveyed to the business operators whose vessels were inspected. They are expected to serve as input for improving labor compliance among fisheries business operators in Benoa.
Editorial Team
