Territorializing the sea: fragmented operational control in offshore tin mining on Bangka Island, Indonesia

The expansion of offshore tin mining transforms the sea into a space of extraction, yet territorial claims over this space do not necessarily translate into operational control. Studies of territorialization have largely focused on the formation of claims rather than on the processes through which such claims are converted into operational control. This article examines the territorialization of offshore tin mining on Bangka Island, Indonesia, through three interrelated analytical moments: territorial claims, securing access, and operational control. This qualitative study draws on fieldwork comprising interviews with 23 informants and observations, supplemented by a review of relevant literature and an analysis of regulatory documents, corporate reports, and news coverage. The findings show that exploration and regulatory arrangements produce epistemic and legal claims over marine space but do not, in themselves, enable mining operations. Companies and their local networks must still secure access by cultivating and representing support, engaging village institutions and local intermediaries, negotiating benefits, and making personal approaches to key actors. Their success varies across locations, shaped by local power relations, actor legitimacy, and fisher resistance. Consequently, operational control is contingent, partial, fragmented, and continuously negotiated: mining operations can proceed in some locations, whereas elsewhere territorial claims remain in force without being translated into operational control.