Head of Bakamla, Vice Admiral (Laksdya) Achmad Taufiqoerrachman, delivered the studium generale material at ITS

ITS Campus, ITS News – To prove its commitment in advancing maritime fields in Indonesia, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) Surabaya held a public lecture (studium generale) which presented the Head of Marine Security Agency (Bakamla) Vice Admiral Achmad Taufiqoerrochman SE, on Friday (8 / 2). The lecture held at the Main Meeting Room of ITS Rector Building took the theme of the Potential Threats and Conditions for Safeguarding Indonesian Sea Region.

In his speech, ITS Deputy Rector IV in the fields of Innovation, Cooperation, Alumni and International Relations Prof. Dr. Ketut Buda Artana ST MSc explained the innovations that have been carried out by ITS in the maritime field. Ketut said that ITS was ready to support Bakamla with its technological breakthroughs that could help Bakamla in carrying out its duties to maintain the marine security in Indonesia.

Vice Admiral (Laksdya) Achmad Taufiqoerrachman or familiarly called Taufiq opened the general study session by presenting the state of the sea in Indonesia. He said Indonesia has a large sea area, a long coastline, heavy sea traffic, and geographically located strategically because it is located between two oceans and two continents.

Vice Admiral (Laksdya) Achmad Taufiqoerrachman (center) reviews a number of ITS innovation in the maritime field

As a result, Taufiq continues, Indonesia has great potential, but it is also followed by a big threat of course. However, the current situation shows that Indonesia is still lagging behind in the maritime field, especially in the field of technology it has. “The sea cannot be fenced and occupied, the sea can only be controlled,” Taufiq reminded.

However, according to the former Governor of the Naval Academy (AAL), controlling the sea area is very difficult, because there is no place to hide like on land. Therefore, the most effective way to control the sea is through an accurate network of information. Indonesia’s technology is still very lacking in the delivery of information. “The slow information certainly slows down the actions that can be taken by Bakamla,” he complained.

Vice Admiral (Laksdya) Achmad Taufiqoerrachman (left) exchanged souvenirs with Prof. Ketut Buda Artana

Taufiq also explained the problems faced by Bakamla in securing the sea. The threat of illegal fishing and smuggling is predicted to be a problem that will still occur in 2019. The smuggling he had met was the smuggling of tons of drugs. The man from Sukabumi also admitted that he had failed to catch smuggling because the smugglers increased their speed capacity.

At the end of his lecture, this former Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Wakasal) planned to cooperate with ITS to support Bakamla’s performance through innovations from ITS. “I am very happy to be able to visit here (ITS, editor), especially I know innovations from ITS are possible to improve our performance,” concluded the man who also served as Commander of the Indonesian Regional Fleet Command (Pangarmabar). (RAM/Anjani/ITS Public Relation Officer)

(from right) Vice Admiral Achmad Taufiqoerrachman with ITS Rector Prof. Mochamad Ashari, and Deputy IV ITS Prof. Ketut Buda Artana