Sands of Competition: The Race for Sea Sand Mining in Indonesia

The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has commenced offering entrepreneurs marine sediment mining, including sea sand. The allocation of these concessions is regulated through Ministerial Regulation No. 33/2023 concerning the Management of Sedimentation Results in the Sea and Ministerial Decision No. 16/2024 concerning the Planning Document for the Management of Sedimentation Results in the Sea, which were enacted on Mar. 13.

The Indonesian government is extending the offer to exploit sea sand from the Java Sea in the waters of Demak Regency, Surabaya City, Cirebon Regency, Indramayu Regency, and Karawang Regency. Other locations include waters around Kutai Kartanegara Regency and Balikpapan City in East Kalimantan and Karimun Island, Lingga Island, and Bintan Island in the Riau Islands.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono stated that determining marine sediment utilization locations had been coordinated with various parties and scientific studies. According to him, sea sand is used so far for domestic reclamation needs. He mentioned that users of marine sediment are present in Surabaya, Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) in North Jakarta, and Batam of the Riau Islands. "The research team continues to work, examining if there are valuable mineral contents that can be utilized for reclamation," he said on Mar. 19.