By Ainur Rohmah

TUBAN, Indonesia

Indonesia blew up 23 foreign vessels Tuesday after charging them with fishing illegally in the country’s waters, bringing the number of vessels destroyed under the policy to more than 170.

Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti stressed that "the government will not stop its sinking policy so that the sea is realized as the nation's wealth in the future."

Detik.com quoted her saying that of the vessels sunk in seven different places across the archipelago, 13 were from Vietnam and 10 from Malaysia.

The government of President Joko Widodo has declared war on illegal fishing, implementing a policy of sinking ships guilty of the practice, which reportedly costs the country billions in losses each year.

As of late 2014, authorities have blown up more than 170 ships – many of them from Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia.

The policy has also led to the destruction of more than a dozen Indonesian vessels.

The coordinating minister for maritime affairs, Rizal Ramli, stressed Tuesday that although the practice was controversial, its benefits “are clear".

The news website quoted him as saying that before the policy was applied, "many foreign vessels were protected by powerful people in Indonesia, so that they could steal fish, which cost the state tens of billions of dollars."

He underlined that the positive impact of the policy has been felt by traditional fishermen who are now able to score larger catches.

"People can now get a great benefit and this momentum to build a fishing industry in Indonesia is needed," Ramil said.