The Politics of Maritime Space Production: Ocean Grabbing and State Power in the Development of the Capital City of Nusantara

This study examines the politics of ocean space production in developing Indonesia's new capital city, Nusantara, in East Kalimantan, as a national strategic project reorganizing power relations among the state, capital, and coastal communities.The research aims to understand how integrating marine spatial planning policies following the Job Creation Law has reshaped access and control over maritime space.A qualitative approach was employed using the political ecology framework and critical spatial analysis through a case study in Balikpapan Bay and Penajam Paser Utara.Data were collected from policy document analysis, in-depth interviews, and field observations.The findings reveal that integrating the Coastal and Small Islands Zoning Plan into the National Spatial Plan and implementing an online licensing system have created a centralized and technocratic form of ocean governance.This transformation has resulted in the marginalization of coastal communities, declining fish catches, and degradation of mangrove ecosystems around the Nusantara area.The discussion highlights that the Nusantara project represents a new form of legally legitimized ocean grabbing under the rhetoric of sustainable development, underscoring the need for more participatory and ecologically just maritime governance.