Bandung, IndonesiaSentinel.com — Indonesia is ready to resume exporting sea sand following the new regulations enacted recently by the government, but who will buy Indonesian sea sand?.
In the past decades, several countries have imported sea sand from Indonesia, namely Singapore, Malaysia, and China. Among them, Singapore has been one of the largest importers of Indonesian sand.
Singapore’s rapid urban expansion and ambitious land reclamation projects have led to a voracious demand for sand. The city-state has been artificially expanding its landmass for decades, and much of this expansion has been fueled by imported sand, particularly from neighboring countries like Indonesia.
Between the 1990s and the early 2000s, Singapore imported vast quantities of sea sand from Indonesia to support its reclamation efforts. At its peak, Indonesia was responsible for supplying nearly half of Singapore’s sand imports.
However, environmental concerns surrounding the destruction of Indonesian islands and coastal areas became so severe that the Indonesian government implemented the export ban in 2003.
The sea sand exported at that time came from the mining activity in the Batam region, including Batam Island, Tonton Island, Nipah Island, Setoko Island, Rempang Island, Galang Island, and Galang Baru Island.
Not only Singapore, sea sand from Indonesia was also sent to Malaysia. Around 1994, Malaysia imported a lot of sea sand from Indonesia to develop Johor Bharu into New Johor Bharu. Several coastal areas at the southern tip of Peninsular Malaysia bordering Singapore also needed sand from Indonesia to build ocean ports that could compete with Singapore.
Enacting Two New Regulations, Indonesia Ready to Reopens Sea Sand Exports
Despite Indonesia’s long-standing ban on sand exports, illegal sand mining and smuggling activities have persisted, with some of this sand still making its way to foreign markets. Environmental activists and researchers have documented cases of illegal sand exports to Singapore and other nearby countries, underscoring the ongoing demand and the difficulties in fully enforcing the ban.
Who Could Potentially Buy Indonesian Sea Sand?
As Indonesia cautiously reopens its sand export market under stricter regulations, it is likely that countries with high demand for reclamation materials, such as Singapore, will once again look to Indonesia as a key supplier.
Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) Sakti Wahyu Trenggono also revealed that many countries have expressed interest in buying sea sand from Indonesia. These countries include Hong Kong and Singapore.
However, this time around, the government has pledged to prioritize environmental sustainability and ensure that domestic needs are met before allowing any exports to take place.
As sand remains a highly sought-after resource, particularly in Southeast Asia, the global demand for this finite commodity shows no signs of slowing down. What remains to be seen is whether Indonesia’s new regulations will truly protect its ecosystems from further destruction or if history will repeat itself with devastating consequences for the country’s islands and coastal areas.
(Raidi/Agung)
