JAKARTA: State-owned shipbuilder PT PAL Indonesia launched two warships on Monday, one of which will be the first naval vessel exported by the domestic ship-building industry.
The two ships launched in Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya, East Java, were Missile Destroyer (PKR)-1 and Strategic Sealift Vessel (SSV)-1.
PT PAL president director M. Firmansyah said the PKR-1 was ordered by Indonesia’s Defense Ministry while the SSV-1 was ordered by the Philippines’ Defense Ministry. The firm secured the order worth US$90 million from the Philippines’ government for the construction of two SSVs after winning an international tender process.
He said the SSV-1 was completely built by PT PAL and was in accordance with Lloyd’s Registry classification.
“This is the first warship ever to be exported by Indonesia. This marks another country’s acknowledgment of [our] maritime advancement,” he said on Monday as quoted by tempo.co.
Regarding the PKR-1, Firmansyah explained that PAL cooperated with Netherlands-based Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding through a transfer-of-technology mechanism.
The firm would finish off PKR-1 and SSV-1 before officially handing them over to the Defense Ministry in January 2017 and the Philippines’ Defense Ministry in May 2016, respectively.
Firmansyah explained that PAL had conducted hydrodynamic laboratory tests to get the design of the best quality warship.
“We will complete the process, test it and conduct sea trials before sending it to the Philippines,” he said.
Tuesday’s event also marked the completion of the order for the SSV-2 by the Philippines and the naming of the SSV-1 as the Tarlac.
Tarlac is the birth province of Philippines’ President Benigno Simeon Aquino.
