INDUSTRY NEWS

Indonesia Receives First Submarine Rescue Vessel

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INDONESIA received its first submarine rescue vessel and hydro-oceanographic research vessel, KRI Canopus in Jakarta on May 11, welcomed by deputy defence minister Donny Ermawan Taufanto, Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) Commander General Agus Subiyanto, Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) Chief of Staff Admiral Muhammad Ali, and senior TNI-AL officials.

The 105m Canopus was commissioned earlier this year in February, after its formal induction and handover at Abeking & Rasmussen’s shipyard in Lemwerded, Germany. It was built through a collaboration between German shipbuilder Abeking & Rasmussen and Indonesian firm Palindo Marine over a period of 36 months.

KRI Canopus was built with a make up of 60% of local components. Its arrival will boost the Indonesian Navy’s underwater surveillance and maritime search and rescue (SAR) capabilities, capable of detecting distress signals and locating objects on the seabed. It can map the seabed at depths of up to 11,000m and can operate for as many as 60 days continuously.

According to the TNI-AL, the vessel is equipped with advanced systems including a hydrographic survey launcher (HSL), autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), remotely operated vehicles (ROV), autonomous surface vehicles (ASV) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

Besides monitoring underwater areas, the ship is also capable of military operations such as mapping submarine routes, detecting sea mines, providing security patrols, and providing maritime intelligence support. Its crew consists of 93 personnel who have received seven months of hydrographic training in Germany, France and Indonesia’s own hydrographic school.

In 2021, the TNI-AL’s Cakra-class submarine KRI Nanggala was lost off the coast of Bali while conducting torpedo drills, with 53 crew lost. After an international rescue effort comprising Indonesian, Malaysian, Singaporean, American, Australian and Indian forces, KRI Nanggala was found split into three pieces. Malaysia and Singapore deployed their respective submarine rescue ships, the MV Mega Bakti and MV Swift Rescue respectively during the operation.

In the region, Malaysia and Singapore agreed last August to partner on building up the Submarine Emergency Escape and Rescue (SMER) capabilities between both countries.–shp/adj/dl (Pix:TNI-AL)