OceanX and Indonesia presented important findings from the “Indonesia Mission 2024”

OceanXplorer concluded the expedition in Sumatra and will soon continue
to explore Eastern Indonesian waters.

July 9, 2024— Globa Marinal Exploration Non-profit organization, OceanX, together with the Maritime and Investment Coordinating Ministry National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) unveiled several important findings from its first three steps of exploration of “Mission Indonesia 2024”. The exploration mission continued to the eastern Indonesian waters for the first sea exploration in Indonesia.

Throughout the previous three-stage mission which covers waters around Batam, Aceh, and Padang up to Jakarta, Mission Indonesia 2024 produced new research findings in the waters and seas of Indonesia which has never been explored before. The researchers continued their focus on oceanographic and geo-physics research during the three activities, with various fields including biological diversity, climate, paleo-climatology, microplastic, water quality, and geological characteristics such as Sunda Megathrust zone, which has significant implications towards disaster mitigations in the future.

With a combination of methodologies starting from deep sea survey by using ROV and submersible ship diving, shallow and deep-sea survey using Baited-Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) and air survey from a helicopter, this mission successfully documented various sea biodata including fauna which likes to migrate to the areas. A molecular device such as environment DNA (eDNA) was also used to provide a more comprehensive picture of species diversity, especially the difficult-to-observe kinds through traditional and visual surveys, along with additional sorting on the microbe population.

These preliminary findings show the lower existence of bio-diversity from previous estimations, and the lack of presence of big-sized commercial fish species in the areas is very important to improve fish catch management in the future and the waters conservation area planning.

“We are very pleased to witness the extraordinary collaboration between talented Indonesian and international researchers in this mission. Their efforts have produced significant achievements which we want to share. This discovery will increase Indonesia’s understanding of the sea environment, the support sustainable fishery management, effective conservation strategy, and proactive disaster management efforts. We realize that deep understanding of the sea is very important in mitigating climate change and in ensuring world ocean sustainability,” said Co-CEO and Chief Science Officer of OceanX, Vincent Pieribone, in a media gathering in Jakarta.

Deputy secretary of maritime resources coordination at the Maritime and Investment Coordinating Agency, Aniza Suspita, said, “This collaboration has reached extraordinary progress, and we are proud to see the progress of OceanX’s mission. The discoveries deepen our understanding of the sea environment to protect and manage our sea resources better. By expanding our sea knowledge on the sea, we can mitigate natural disasters in the future overcome the impacts of climate change, and ensure the health and sustainability of Indonesian waters for our future generations”.

Director of Ship Fleet Management at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Nugroho Dwi, stated this collaboration demonstrated the dedication and the spirit of Indonesian researchers in unveiling the mystery of the waters. “Through this mission, we have seen interesting discoveries – starting from deep sea reefs and under-sea mountains up to detailed mapping of megathrusts, which increased our understanding of the sea environment. We remain committed to supporting sea research and the utilization of sustainable maritime resources throughout Indonesian waters to advance scientific knowledge while preserving responsible sea ecosystem management,” said Nugroho.

In the first stage of exploration, OceanXplorer succeeded in mapping approximately 7,500 kilometres- of Indonesian seabed, to facilitate the first submersible diving by Indonesian scientists who participated in the mission, conducted an ROV survey and first camera in the location of the tsunami in 2004, observe deep-sea coral reefs and found hydrothermal and thermogenic leakages at the seabed.

The second-stage mission covers research on oceanography and geo-physics which had been conducted in the previous stage, but all at once to step up the important focus of sea biodiversity. The special focus at this stage also includes the fishery management sector in West Sumatra, the characterization of fish species, megafauna, and coral reefs. In the megafauna air survey, OceanX found hundreds of dolphins, Omura whales, giant oceanic manta rays, and the place where reef sharks live. But observation at this stage also shows habitat degradation and unsustainable mechanism of fishery as indicated by the small number of commercial piscivore species such as snapper and grouper.

The central theme of this expedition is biodiversity-related research, climate and palaeoclimatology, microplastic and water quality, and geological feature mapping such as the Megathrust zone – which has significant implications for earthquake risk and mitigation in the future. The Indonesia Mission 2024, conducted on the OceanXplorer – is the most sophisticated exploration, scientific research, and media production in the world – comprises five stages, which started on May 8 in Batam, and will continue until August 25 this year in Bitung (North Sulawesi). During the mission, OceanX, the Maritime and Investment Coordinating Ministry, used the latest generation of technology, sophisticated science, interesting story delivery, and deep experience in educating, inspiring, and connecting the world with the ocean.

OceanX Education Program

The stopover in Jakarta also marked the important achievement of OceanX Education by the launching of several education programs both on board the shop or on the mainland in collaboration with the Education, Culture, Research and Technology Ministry, prominent universities in Indonesia, and non-profit partners to develop and guide the future generation who are interested to become scientists and maritime technicians, and as the information deliverer on the maritime sector.

In Jakarta and Bali, OceanX Education will organize an education tour on board the ship, which will involve 200 students and teachers. The tour participants will be selected by OceanX partners, such as the Education Ministry, Tanoto Foundation, and other non-profit organizations. The purpose of the tour is to give opportunity for students and lecturers to learn maritime-related principles and media onboard the modern research ship.

The collaboration between OceanX and Tanoto Foundation will involve several students and teachers in the quality and accessible maritime education sector. This partnership emphasizes the commitment of the two organizations, which focus on education, and also strengthen leadership in the maritime sector for the next generation. Apart from tours on board the ship, the Tanoto Foundation also supports the provision of print material for young students and facilitates live broadcasting from the OceanXplorer to classrooms.

Tanoto Foundation Country Head Indonesia, Inge Kusuma said, “We are very pleased to collaborate with OceanX, provide opportunity for Indonesian future leaders to directly experience life on board the ship, to see the use of sophisticated technology, and learn about new fields in science and sea exploration”. This collaboration is in line with the Tanoto Foundation’s commitment to step up education and support the achievement of the goal of Sustainable Development in Indonesia. We do not just give valuable knowledge on sea conservation to future leaders, but also deepen their understanding of SDGs. Together, we are committed to providing quality and affordable education to students and educators across Indonesia.

From Jakarta, the Young Explorers Program (YEP) will invite two groups of students to participate in the onboard activities of the ship for several days. The program is aimed to welcome young people from Indonesia and across the world to learn about the ocean and promote their interest in maritime research and news delivery. The young explorers are 18-22 years old and they will attend two separate expeditions with OceanXplorer in Indonesian waters. The first batch will participate in the Jakarta-Bali trip in July, while the second trip will be from Bali to Beijing between July and August.

The participants consist of 19 Indonesians who come from the University of Indonesia, IPB University, Brawijaya University, Diponegoro University, November Tenth Institute of Technology, Hasanuddin University, and Padjadjaran University. The program will also be attended by 11 students from the US, Singapore, and the Philippines.

In collaboration with the Maritime and Investment Coordinating Ministry and the Education Ministry OceanX had organized several University Lecture Tours at Syahkuala University, and Andalas University. Next lecture tours will be held at the University of Indonesia, Bandung Institute of Technology, Udayana University and Sam Ratulangi University from July to August.