Indonesia and Australia conclude joint maritime operation

4th October 20223rd October 2022 Tony Kingham

Indonesia and Australia have marked their sixth coordinated maritime patrol in Australia’s northern waters, as both countries continue their long-standing cooperation to combat various forms of civil maritime security threats. The operation, known as Operation Gannet, was first staged in 2018.

The Indonesian agencies involved were BAKAMLA (Indonesian Coast Guard) and the Directorate General of Surveillance for Marine and Fisheries Resources (PSDKP). The Australian side was comprised of the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA).

The primary objectives of Operation Gannet patrols are to detect, deter and combat illegal activities at sea and to strengthen the cooperation and interoperability between the agencies involved. During the joint patrol, the crew of surveillance aircraft and ships were looking for suspicious or non-compliant activity occurring along the patrol route.

ABF Commissioner Michael Outram said Operation Gannet was critical to the continued effective management and patrol of the waters between Australia and Indonesia, and further enhanced the already excellent relationship between agencies.

“Effective handling of criminal threats in the maritime domain is critical to the prosperity of both of our countries. I want to thank my Indonesian counterparts for their ongoing commitment to this work,” Commissioner Outram said.

“I also recognise that maritime crime is rarely contained within just one nation’s maritime domain – it spans borders – which highlights how important this type of cooperation is as we respond to these threats.”

During the operation, which ran for four days from 26-29 September, air and marine assets were deployed by both countries as they worked together to patrol within the Timor Sea in Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), through Oceanic Shoals Marine Park and across Beagle Gulf into Darwin.

A closing ceremony was staged in Darwin on 29 September 2022, hosted by ABF Commissioner Michael Outram and attended by VADM Aan Kurnia Chief BAKAMLA, RADM Adin Nurawaluddin Director General of PSDKP, AFMA Chief Executive Officer Wez Norris, and Commander, Maritime Border Command (MBC), RADM Justin Jones.