Fiberglass reinforced plastic as construction material for Indonesian fishing vessels – challenges and future potential development

Abstract

The continuous increase in the use of wood in many sectors and the growing concerns on the sustainability of the forest products has raised serious questions as to the sustainability of wood as a construction material for fishing vessels in Indonesia. Based on the current developments, Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) material is potentially the top alternative substitute to wood for building fishing vessels in Indonesia. However, the initiatives to introduce FRP, particularly by the Indonesian government, as alternative construction material still have many problems including that of acceptance by the fishers themselves. The result of the study shows that some aspects that need to be developed for implementing FRP as construction material in the future, including: fishers’ knowledge and experiences regarding to FRP as construction material, the suitable design of the FRP fishing vessels for specific fishing communities and proper infrastructure to support the FRP boats industries.