Batam Blackened
Oil spills from tankers cover Batam waters. Last month, around 70 tons of sludge oil was collected. It disrupts the fish habitat and poses a threat to mangrove conservation. Batam fishermen have lost their living.
March 10, 2010
ARFAH has not sailed for two months. The Chairman of the Tanjung Bemban Fishermen’s Association, Batam, spends most of his days in his cabin, located several meters from the shore, cleaning oil-soaked fish traps and fishing rods. Since January, the northern Batam waters have indeed been inhospitable to fishermen, with a layer of oil covering the surface of the sea. “When there’s oil, there will be no fish to haul,” said Arfah, 51.
The s
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