Indonesian Navy Sailors Trained in Europe Before Serving as Crew on KRI Canopus

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy (KSAL), Admiral Muhammad Ali, stated that the entire crew of the Republic of Indonesia Warship (KRI) Canopus-936 has undergone training for seven months in several European countries. The training was conducted to ensure that the personnel acquire knowledge in navigation and the field of hydrography, or sea area mapping. “They carried out training in Germany and previously also underwent training and education in France, in various countries, including in Indonesia itself because we already have a hydrography school,” said Ali at the Kolinlamil Pier, Jakarta, on Monday. Ali explained that the 93 crew members underwent education in both theoretical material and practical aspects during the training in Europe. While in Germany, the prospective crew began following training on the operation of KRI Canopus-936, starting from familiarisation with functions and other technical equipment. The training was conducted in Germany because KRI Canopus-936 is a warship resulting from the collaboration between the German shipbuilding company Abeking & Rasmussen (A&R) and PT Palindo Marine. Ali continued that after undergoing lengthy training, the Navy personnel were finally declared ready to helm the ship from Germany to Indonesia. The Navy crew successfully brought KRI Canopus-936 from Germany across various oceans to Jakarta, with a journey time of 57 days. Currently, the ship is in Indonesia and ready to be operated under the Navy’s Hydro-Oceanography Centre (Pushidrosal). With the presence of this ship, Ali hopes that the Navy’s defence strength will further increase in safeguarding Indonesia’s territory. It is known that the ship is equipped with various technologies, including the Hydrographic Survey Launcher (HSL), Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) as well as Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). “This equipment is used to conduct hydrographic, oceanographic, geophysical surveys, and detailed mapping of the seabed,” said Ali. In addition to monitoring underwater areas, the ship is also functioned for military operations such as submarine route mapping, sea mine detection, security patrols, and maritime intelligence support. Ali explained that KRI Canopus-936 is also capable of carrying out search and rescue (SAR) missions in water, including emergency signal detection and searching for objects on the seabed. With this technology, according to him, the Navy can search for submarines that have experienced accidents and sunk in the sea.