(April 24, 2026)

“That was not in a serious context. We have never planned to collect such a tax,” Purbaya told reporters in Jakarta on Friday, putting an end to days of uncertainty.

Behind his response lies a deeper legal framework that governs the world’s oceans.

Purbaya pointed to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, a cornerstone of international maritime law that enshrines the principle of freedom of navigation.