The governments of Indonesia and Panama have explored cooperation in the field of maritime affairs, reports the Jakarta Post.
The cooperation in maritime affairs especially regarding the management of seaports include vessel registration, the eradication of illegal fishing, the protection of ship crews, the certification of seafarers and the development of bilateral trade, says the Indonesian foreign ministry's Director General for America and Europe Dian Triansyah Djani.
"Indonesia is the largest archipelagic country in the world and its maritime potential needs to be developed in line with the policy of President Joko [Jokowi] Widodo," Djani said.
Director General Djani recently held a meeting with Panama's Maritime Affairs Minister Jorge Barakat Pitty in Panama, Enjai Diana of the directorate general said in the statement.
Djani added that Indonesia was expected to take advantage of the cooperation as Panama was already well-established in developing its maritime potential.
Pitty said Panama was ready to cooperate and share with Indonesia its experiences in various maritime sectors, such as port management, the protection of seafarers and training.
Panama has 13 ports. Cristobal and Balboa port is the busiest in Latin America. Cristobal port able to serve 2.2 million units per year Maritime. In addition, the potential of maritime Panama backed by the Panama Canal connecting the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean are crossed by 14 thousand vessels per year.
To provide protection of Indonesian citizens abroad, especially in Panama, Indonesia and Panama exploring cooperation framework Mandatory Consular Notification (MCN). According to the Ambassador of Panama, Dwi Ayu Arimami there are currently 5,421 crews working on vessels flagged to Panama.