The Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) has ordered an additional LST from the Telouk Bintuni class in Bandar Lampung on March 8.

The new 120m long vessel is called KRI Teloul Palu, with pennant number ‘523’. It is the eighth of nine LSTs built to replace older amphibious ships, and the amphibious vessel is expected to be based in Lampung.

PT Daya Radar Utama built this vessel, and a previous one was inducted on July 12, 2021. The last LST of a three-vessel contract awarded in January 2017 is expected to be completed this year.

Adm Yudo Morgono, Chief of the Indonesian Navy, said at the commissioning ceremony, ‘I hope the presence of KRI Teluk Palu 523 can augment naval strength and capability, especially in amphibious landing operations and administration by Military Sealift Command.

The class is capable of simultaneously transporting up to ten Leopard 2 tanks, an armored bridgelayer, a transport vehicle and two helicopters. Each LST with a crew of 115 sailors can also accommodate 360 ​​soldiers/marines, a six-person helicopter detachment.

Elsewhere, at Batam in the Riau Islands, shipbuilder PT Karimum Anugrah Sejati held a steel-cutting and keel-laying ceremony for the TNI-AL’s third PC-60M patrol boat on March 4. The 60m vessel is due to be launched in May 2023 and delivered to the Indonesian Navy‘s 1st Fleet Command three months later.

The PC-60M class is based on the Navy’s KCR-60 missile boat, but with a naval gun rather than anti-ship missiles.

Construction of the PC-60Ms is shared, with PT Caputra Mitra Sejati building the first pair. He started working on these in February 2020, and they duly launched on March 22. PT Malindo Marine builds the fourth PC-60M, with a steel-cutting ceremony March 15.

The PC-60M project is one of nine priority programs for the Chief of the Navy. The type has a top speed of 24 knots and a range of eight days. Its complement is 55, and the main armament is a single bow-mounted 40mm cannon plus two 12.7mm machine guns.

This is KRI Tarakan, the first of three locally built tankers for TNI-AL. (Photo: TNI-AL)

PT PAL, Indonesia’s largest shipbuilder, is making progress on an additional hospital ship for the TNI-AL. By mid-March, it had reached a completion level of 67.58%, with 104 of 121 blocks completed. The engine, gearbox and diesel generators were also installed. The 7,300t vessel is expected to launch later this year.

This is PT PAL’s second hospital ship in this class, the first being the KRI Dr Wahidin Sudirohusodo which was commissioned on January 14. Finally, KRI semaranga makassar-class LPD delivered on January 21, 2019 and acting as a temporary hospital ship, could be relieved of this role.

Given Indonesia’s susceptibility to natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis, these hospital ships provide vitally important deployment capability.

Indonesia has also contracted two local shipyards to build three 6,274 t Tarakhan-class fleet tankers for the TNI-AL. PT Dok & Perkapalan Kodja Bahari built KRI Tarakhanwhile PT Batamec built KRI bontang (commissioning in 2020) and is currently building the third tanker capable of carrying 5,500 m³ of fuel.

Before the 123.5 m long Tarakhan-class tankers, the Indonesian MoD awarded a contract for a smaller 99.5m tanker in December 2011. PT Anugrah Buana Marine in Banten laid the keel of the future KRI Dumai (pennant number ‘904’) in April 2012, but the ship was never completed for unknown reasons and her hull is unfinished.

The Navy wants to have six tankers as part of its Minimum Essential Force 2024 plan, so this tanker could still be completed, perhaps followed by two more.