Regional OSINT - Indonesian Fisherman suspected of illegally camping and fishing on remote Island off Western Australia

Regional OSINT forms a picture of the current environment in a region, that can help in a myriad projects and operations

In May 2022, an Indonesian fishing camp was discovered off Western Australia's northern coast, raising concerns that illegal crews were able to come and go undetected.?

An Australian skipper discovered piles of litter and skinned sharks on Niiwalarra, or (Sir Graham Moore Island),2,800 kilometres north of Perth and 1,300km west of Darwin. Rubbish from products made in Jakarta covered in Bahasa Indonesian language was found in piles around the alleged encampment.

PINDROP- The location SQUARE of Sir Graham Moore Island in reference to Katherine and Darwin NT (supplied by Google Maps)

Although the Australian Border Force claims to patrol the Northern coastline regularly, it seems that they could not monitor the area and catch the culprits on this occasion. This finding raises concerns about Australia’s biosecurity in the region, with the possibility of the introduction of marine diseases and over-fishing of Australian waters at the top of a long list of concerns. Security is also a concern, if fishermen are allowed to slip so far into Australia's sovereignty then it is inevitable, at some point others will take advantage of this vulnerability for nefarious purposes.

There is a history of Indonesian fishing boats encroaching on Australian Sovereignty over the last decade, represented perfectly in November 2021, when it was reported that Illegal fishing activity off the northwest coast of Australia had grown to unprecedented levels, requiring a joint federal operation. The Operation seized 16 vessels and burnt three at sea during a three-day blitz in October 2021.

Due to the large amount of remote coastline to cover, maintaining an Australian Government-led Security presence in these remote regions will be difficult moving well into the future. Any travel required in this region should be covered by a thorough security plan and an experienced support crew.

Aden Hawke

Manager - Intelligence, Security and Vetting.

Empire Protection Pty Ltd.