Australian and Indonesian authorities have jointly patrolled 24,000 square nautical miles of ocean to the north of Australia during a week-long operation to combat illegal maritime activity in the region.
Operation Jawline Arafura ran from September 20 to 25, 2025, and was conducted along Indonesia and Australia's shared maritime border by the Australian Border Force (ABF), the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA), and the Directorate General of Surveillance of Marine and Fisheries Resources of the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
The ABF said the annual joint patrol aims to improve coordination between Australian and Indonesian authorities to deter, detect and respond to illegal maritime activities, including illegal foreign fishing. Six vessels were boarded during the operation.
Justin Bathurst, AFMA's General Manager of Fisheries Operations, said the latest joint operation was a success and welcomed further cooperation between Australian and Indonesian authorities in the future.
Each agency deployed a range of capabilities to detect, deter and disrupt unlawful activity.
The ABF contributed the Cape-class patrol vessel ABFC Cape St George and a Dash 8 surveillance aircraft while Indonesia deployed a patrol vessel and an ATR 42 surveillance aircraft. AFMA officers were embarked across Australian and Indonesian platforms.
Last year, 36 illegal fishers were caught in a similar joint patrol in the Arafura Sea.