NTT fishing permits split business and vessel rules, thresholds still unclear

Labuan Bajo — — Indonesia’s capture-fisheries permits distinguish between the fishing enterprise and the vessels that catch and transport fish: SIUP for the fishing business, SIPI for capture activity and SIKPI for fish-carrying vessels, according to national regulations and licensing information from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and regional governments. However, the available public records for East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and Manggarai do not provide a complete, up-to-date table of vessel-size thresholds or a full national licensing pathway for all three permits.

The clearest local description concerns SIUP, the fishing-business permit. A public-service document for Manggarai regency lists SIUP as a service product of the Investment and One-Stop Integrated Services Office (Dinas Penanaman Modal dan Pelayanan Terpadu Satu Pintu), with technical input from the regency fisheries agency. National licensing information from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries similarly presents SIUP, SIPI and SIKPI as part of an integrated capture-fisheries licensing regime handled through central and regional licensing offices.

Permit functions under national rules

A 2016 ministerial regulation on capture-fisheries business defines SIUP as a written permit required for fisheries companies to conduct capture-fisheries business using the production facilities listed in the permit. The same regulatory framework and later implementing documents define SIPI as a written permit that each fishing vessel must hold to conduct fishing, and SIKPI as a written permit for vessels that transport fish as part of a capture-fisheries business.

National licensing materials stress that SIUP, SIPI and SIKPI are part of a single business-permit package for capture fisheries, with SIUP covering the business entity and SIPI and SIKPI covering individual vessels and their operating characteristics. Ministry guidance and service standards specify that applicants must provide business identification, tax data, vessel documentation and information on fishing areas, gears and home ports.

What the Manggarai SIUP listing shows

The Manggarai SIUP service record sets out procedural and document requirements for new applications by individuals and legal entities. For individual applicants, it lists a completed SIUP application form, a business identification number, copies of identity and domicile documents, location permits, and a set of vessel documents including a measurement certificate, a seaworthiness and crewing certificate, a gross deed and a fisheries-vessel inspection certificate, along with a technical recommendation from the Manggarai fisheries agency.

For legal entities, the same document adds company-formation records, tax information and a statement regarding an owned or partnered fish-processing unit for integrated capture-fisheries operations, while repeating the vessel documentation requirements. The listing identifies the service location as the Manggarai Investment and One-Stop Integrated Services Office on Jalan Yos Sudarso No. 14 in Ruteng, with applicants expected to obtain information and forms at the service counter, submit complete applications and then undergo administrative and technical checks.

Data points from the published service record:

• Permit documented: SIUP, the fishing-business permit for capture fisheries.
• Receiving office: Manggarai Investment and One-Stop Integrated Services Office (DPMPTSP).
• Technical input listed: Recommendation from the Manggarai Fisheries, Marine Affairs and Food Crops Agency.
• Recorded service address: Jalan Yos Sudarso No. 14, Ruteng, Flores, NTT.

Vessel-size thresholds and issuing authorities

National regulations and subsequent implementing documents link SIUP, SIPI and SIKPI to vessel-size categories and administrative levels, but do not provide a simple, consolidated table for NTT in the sources reviewed. A 2020 ministerial regulation and related guidance discuss SIUP, SIPI and SIKPI for fishing and transport vessels up to 10 gross tonnage (GT) and in higher GT ranges, distinguishing responsibilities between central and regional authorities and specifying limits for operations in territorial waters, the Indonesian Exclusive Economic Zone and high seas.

Other provincial regulations, such as a Maluku regional by-law, show how governors can be authorized to issue SIUP for vessels above 10 GT and SIPI and SIKPI for vessels above 5 GT up to 30 GT operating in provincial fisheries areas, while exempting small-scale fishers below certain vessel sizes from permit requirements. These examples confirm that vessel-size thresholds and issuing authorities can vary by regulation and administrative level, and that regional governments play a defined role in implementing capture-fisheries licensing.

For NTT specifically, performance reports from the provincial Fisheries and Marine Affairs Agency describe programs for capture-fisheries management, supervision and licensing support within the provincial administration, but they do not set out SIUP, SIPI and SIKPI thresholds or a detailed division of authority by vessel size in the material consulted.

Practical implications for operators

Because SIUP, SIPI and SIKPI serve different functions in the national regime, a fishing business permit is not automatically equivalent to authorization for a particular vessel to fish or transport fish. National and regional documents indicate that operators may need to hold SIUP for the business and SIPI and/or SIKPI for each vessel, depending on vessel size, operating area and activity, but they do not provide a single, current table for NTT that answers all threshold questions.

In practice, businesses operating from NTT are therefore expected to confirm their permit pathway directly with the relevant licensing office, whether provincial or regency-level DPMPTSP or the Ministry’s licensing system. Key points for confirmation include whether SIUP alone is sufficient for the planned activity, whether SIPI and SIKPI are required for specific vessels, which authority issues each permit for the vessel size and operating area in question, and which measurement (such as GT or overall length) is applied to any threshold.

Sources

• Surat Izin Usaha Perikanan (SIUP) – Manggarai service record
• Berita Negara – Ministerial regulation on capture-fisheries business (2020)
• Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries licensing portal (OSS DJPT)
• LKIP Dinas Kelautan dan Perikanan Provinsi NTT 2022
• Provincial regulation on capture-fisheries business permits (example: Maluku)
• Aceh Barat Fisheries Office announcement on vessel-size categories and permits
• News report on revocation of vessel-size limitation circular for SIUP/SIPI/SIKPI
• Silat Mobile app listing for permit document checking