Cruise ship runs aground in Raja Ampat

[Pearlman]

Which brings me back to my original point - the cruise ship that ran aground on the reef was not a LOB. It was one of those giant cruise ships that has hundreds and hundreds of passengers on board.

Bringing in yet another permit is not going to do anything about huge ships passing through and wrecking the place.

I see where you're coming from, I just think it's tangential to the real issue here. Huge cruise ships and mass tourism.

Ugh! Do they dump their sewage in local waters? What are the laws and regulations around this?

P

 

[Diving Dubai]

Line their pockets? At the end of 20 years, I broke even and paid my tax bill. No one is lining their pockets running a LOB. Most are living their dream. Hopefully it only costs them a little.

I'm not against anyone making a profit, heck why else would they be in business, and while I've never run a boat I have a good grasp of business cost, and how small the actual free cash is after everything else is looked after.

My point was (not very well put) that the LOB's take advantage of someone else's efforts without contributing. If this no take zone hadn't been in place, then the marine life wouldn't be so good, less people visiting etc.

I recently did an 11 day LOB in Raja and paid $250 USD in marine park fees. My math puts that one boat at $20 000 in marine park fees in seven trips.

But that fee doesn't' necessarily go into the marine park, or specifically places like Misool. In the UK We used to pay a road fund licence, none of the money went into roads. Central government used it elsewhere.

I would assume the many local dive guides and crew members employed by these LOBs would spend their wages in the local economy. Not to mention the many tourists spending on transportation, meals and accommodations. I have no references to back this claim but I would wager that the LOB industry accounts for a large portion of the local GDP in places like Sorong.

Some money spent does filter back to the wider economy wages and tips for sure, but its a drop in the ocean. How much money do the internationally based companies that own these liveaboards put back to the local economies. How much do they actually contribute to the protection of the areas they take guests too?

 

[Indah]

I would like to know which LOB's spend money on reforesting as a compensation for all the very high quality trees which have been logged for the building of the boat.

 

[billt4sf]

I would like to know which LOB's spend money on reforesting as a compensation for all the very high quality trees which have been logged for the building of the boat.

I think I know the answer: zero.

And when we dive in RA and the water is murky, one answer we get is that there is logging in the area.

- Bill

 

[billt4sf]

British-owned cruise ship wrecks one of Indonesia’s best coral reefs

The article makes mention of them dropping anchors (I guess on a routine basis) as well. Wonder how bad that is!

- Bill

 

[Centrals]

The local government should detain the ship until the owner pay the fine otherwise they will never receive any compensation from the central government!

 

[scubafanatic]

The local government should detain the ship until the owner pay the fine otherwise they will never receive any compensation from the central government!

Detain the ship indefinitely, keep it hostage, use it to financially bleed the company to death with that huge capital investment out of circulation indefinitely....mere 'fines' are passed along as routine costs of doing business.

The ship gets to 'leave' after the destroyed reef has fully recovered, however many decades or centuries that takes.

 

[Centrals]

Heard this story many yrs ago:
A tec liveaboard was diving Seven Skies in SE Asia. Then came Indonesian Navy and the boat + crew + divers were arrested. The divers were put into house(hotel) arrest and were eventually released when the owner of the boat PAID the fine.

 

[WetPup]

Pretty sure anyone who has spent any serious time in SE Asia or Africa has a few stories to tell about corruption

"What am I getting out of this personally? What are you going to do for me?", not "how are you benefiting my jurisdiction?"...

 

[Indah]

At least in Indonesia many get arrested for it, instead of a golden handshake.