National scene: Navy to buy hospital ship

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | National | Thu, January 14 2016, 5:18 PM

The Defense Ministry is considering the purchase of new hospital ships for the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) in order to boost the country’s preparedness in dealing with natural disaster.

“The Navy expressed a need [for hospital ships] and we are considering the proposal,” Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said in Jakarta on Tuesday after the executive meeting with the military commander and the Air Force, the Navy, and the Army chiefs of staff.

The Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Ade Supandi told The Jakarta Post that the navy planned to purchase at least two hospital ships.

“There is still some discussion on the idea. However, it is clear that we will buy the ships from shipbuilder company PT PAL,” Ade said.

He believed that two ships would be enough to support the government’s humanitarian efforts in cases of disaster.

“We expect that the new hospital ships will be akin to KRI DR Soeharso-990, either the type or the size,” Ade said.

Joining the Navy’s fleet in 2003, KPR DR Soeharso is the only hospital ship in the country. With a length of 122 meters, KRI Dr Soeharso is a landing platform dock-type vessel. In an emergency situation the ship can accommodate 400 soldiers and 3,000 passengers. During the fire-induced haze disaster last year, the Indonesian Military (TNI) deployed KRI DR Soeharso to evacuate women and children affected by smoke.

what happen to the water leaking, doesn't look like the aircond condense water

Why is this hospital ship armed?

Ok, I know this ship was originally a Makassar-class LPD, but I figured they'd remove all weaponry when they converted it into a hospital ship.

Navy's strategic sealift vessel to be launched in Indonesia

By Alexis Romero (philstar.com) | Updated January 15, 2016 - 4:55pm

MANILA, Philippines - One of the two strategic sealift vessels acquired by the Philippines to boost the Navy’s capabilities will be launched on Sunday in Indonesia.

Launching is a Navy term that refers to the removal of a ship from dry dock to allow it to float at sea for the next stage of tests. A ship is launched to ensure that it is working properly before it is delivered to its buyer.

“We got a word from the Navy that one of the two strategic sealift vessels we ordered from Indonesia, from the PT PAL shipyard, will be launched this January 17. Our key officials will be in attendance to see the launching of that ship,” Armed Forces spokesman Col. Restituto Padilla said in a press briefing yesterday.

“The acquisition of the strategic sealift vessels is a very important milestone for our Navy. It will increase our capacity for humanitarian assistance and disaster response during critical moments when we our hit by storms,” he added.

In 2014, The STAR reported that shipbuilder PT PAL Indonesia (Persero) won the bidding for the purchase of two brand new strategic sealift vessels for the Philippine Navy. The notice of award for the P4-billion project was issued to the company in December 2014.

PT PAL offered to build the vessels for $86,980,000 or about P3.864 billion, well within the budget ceiling of P4 billion.

The first strategic sealift vessel will be delivered in May while the second ship is scheduled to arrive next year.

The strategic sealift vessels can be used to perform civil-military operations and can transport a large number of soldiers, logistics equipment and supplies. They can also accommodate three helicopters and can support disaster relief operations.

Padilla said the ship can also be deployed as a command and control center that can coordinate rescue, recovery and retrieval efforts.

“This ship can also be used as floating hospital in case our health center and hospitals in provinces that were affected by disasters become unavailable,” he said.

Padilla said the vessel can also be used as a supply ship in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) and other Philippine territories.

Indonesia and Denmark to pursue industry collaboration

Jon Grevatt, Bangkok - IHS Jane's Defence Industry
14 January 2016

Indonesia and Denmark are discussing a potential defence industrial collaboration programme featuring the co-production of naval vessels and accompanying mission systems, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in Jakarta has said.

According to an MoD statement on 13 January, defence industry officials from Denmark held meetings in Jakarta with counterparts from Indonesia, including defence minister Ryamizard Ryacudu.

The statement said the theme of the meetings was defence industry co-operation based on technology transfers to Indonesian industry. Products under consideration, it said, include unspecified naval vessels, radars, and other electronic systems to support naval operations.

The MoD quoted Denmark's ambassador to Indonesia, Casper Klynge, as saying, "This is more than buying and selling.

Is that Smart-s mk2 on the top of sigma? look so big though

The Bad Luck Continues…

Marhalim Abas
January 18, 2016
Malaysia -RMN

SHAH ALAM: I AM aware that many people do not believe in luck but the saga of the RMN’s training ships certainly call for a dose of good luck – in buckets literally. After being left floating but incomplete for almost three years, the two ships were finally towed to Lumut, last year for completion.

Unfortunately, one of the ships, PCU Teguh Samudera caught fire this morning. Teguh Samudera, pennant number 272, is the second training ship of the RMN. The first is Gagah Samudera.

According to Sinar Harian, Teguh Samudera which is being completed at the Grade One Marine Shipyard in Lumut, had a fire in its engine room.

The report stated that firemen from the Sitiwan Fire and Rescue Department rushed to the shipyard after receiving an emergency call at 9.59am. The firemen took about 20 minutes to douse the fire which affected five per cent of the ship’s engine room, according to the report.

A full survey is however needed to find the extent of the damage cause by the fire and the costs to repair it.
From the image which appeared in the Sinar Harian report, it appears that both training ships, Gagah and Teguh, were in the final stage of completion. Probably RMN finally got the funding for the completion of both ships although the fire will probably delayed the commissioning of Teguh then.

For more travails of the training ships check out Malaysian Defence previous articles on the two ships.

Previously, RMN’s hydrographic ship, KD Mutiara, had to be rebuilt after it caught fire while undergoing a refit at the MMHE shipyard in Johor. The most famous fire involving an RMN ship was of course the former KD Inderapura which decommissioned after devastating fire back in 2009. She had earlier been repaired after another fire in 2002.

Indonesian Navy’s first SIGMA 10514 PKR launched at PT Pal Surabaya Shipyard

18 January 2016

Damen frigate modularly constructed in the Netherlands and Indonesia in collaborative construction project

PT PAL has launched the first of two SIGMA 10514 Perusak Kawal Rudal (PKR) guided-missile frigates designated for the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL). PT PAL built these ships in collaboration with Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS). The ceremony was attended by the Guests of Honour, namely the Indonesian Minister of Defense, Ryamizard Rycudu along with Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs, Rizal Ramli; ambassadors from neighboring countries; the Governor of East Java, Soekarwo and Chief of the Navy Admiral Ade Supandi.

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, Rizal Ramli said: “The Launching of PKR1 is a great momentum for the development of the Indonesian Shipbuilding and Maritime Industry. This has shown that Indonesia has the human resources and skills to develop naval vessels. However, we must still improve our technology and knowledge in order to compete internationally. Certainly, this is what we hope to achieve from our partner DSNS.”

Mr. Firmansyah Arifin, President Director of PT Pal: “The launching of the first PKR went very smoothly. We are confident that the installation of the remaining technical parts of the vessel will be carried out in due time, so that the delivery phase can be achieved on or ahead of schedule.”

The SIGMA 10514 PKR frigate was a project initiated in August 2010 by the Indonesian Ministry of Defence. The Ministry awarded a contract to Damen for the construction of the first SIGMA 10514 PKR in December of that year. The first steel was cut by the former Minister of Defence, Mr. Purnomo Yusgiantoro in January 2014 and the keel was laid in April 2014 at PT PAL shipyard in Surabaya. The PKRs are designed and built to endure various missions.

Purpose

Primarily, the vessel will be operated for Anti-Air Warfare, Anti-Surface Warfare, and Anti-submarine Warfare. However, it is also compatible with Maritime Security, Search and Rescue, Patrol, and Humanitarian Support tasks. TNI-Al will be strongly empowered by this state-of-the-art maritime capacity.

Modular construction

The SIGMA 10514 PKR has a proven design and is uniquely built using a modular approach. SIGMA stands for Ship Integrated Geometrical Modularity Approach. In essence, the PKRs are divided into 6 modules of which 4 were built in PT PAL’s shipyards while the other two modules were built and fully tested at DSNS in the Netherlands. The modular building enables greater flexibility, is more cost effective and allows for building in various locations worldwide. Essentially, it provides a large portion of technological transfer. When the 6 modules were complete, PT PAL had the responsibility of integrating them into one sole vessel.

Main characteristics

Technically, the PKR has a length of 105.11 metres, a beam of 14.2 metres and a displacement of 2,365 tons. The vessel features a fully air-conditioned accommodation for up to 122 persons. The helicopter deck is suitable to host a medium sized helicopter hanger with a weight of max 10 tons. The vessel is also equipped with two rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) for rescue and patrol operations. The frigate has a speed of 28 knots, and can sail up to 5,000nm at 14 knots. The endurance is at least 20 days at sea.

The propulsion system of the PKR vessel utilises a combined diesel or electric (CODOE) which consists of two 10,000kW maximum continuous rating (MCR) diesel engines, two 1,300kW electric motors, two double input gearboxes and two 3.65 metre controllable pitch propellers. The vessel is equipped with a sophisticated platform management system that enables operating, control and monitoring of the ship’s auxiliary systems. The vessel will naturally be equipped with a complete, state-of-the-art sensor and weapon package to counter air, surface and sub-surface threats. For self-defence, the vessel is also equipped with comprehensive electronic warfare systems.

The sensory aspect of the SIGMA is equipped with 3-D surveillance radar with a range of 250 km. Furthermore, there is a target indication radar which also has an electro optical fire control system. The sensor array also comprises a Friend or Foe Identification (IFF) system and a hull mounted sonar.

Sharing expertise

Naturally, this strategic project between PT PAL and DSNS also led to a flow of knowledge transfer from Damen to its Indonesian counterpart. In fact, more than 300 people from PT PAL benefitted from the extensive sharing of shipbuilding expertise. PT PAL shipyards also ameliorated its infrastructure as part of the project. Mr. Arifin: “The partnership between PAL and Damen is undoubtedly a great opportunity. In particular, PT PAL has extensively benefitted from a transfer of knowledge and technology. For instance, we have improved our yard standards and trained our workers. Certainly, we would highly recommend the continuation of this strategic partnership for the future.”