Navy to expand fleet to boost security
Navy to expand fleet to boost security
Agence France-Presse, Jakarta
The Indonesian navy plans to buy up to 60 modern patrol vessels
over the next decade to strengthen maritime security and catch up
with its technologically advanced regional counterparts, a report
said on Saturday.
Indonesia has the biggest naval force in Asia, but it lags
behind its Asian peers in terms of armament and technology, navy
chief Adm. Bernard Kent Sondakh was quoted as saying by Antara.
"Other Asian countries have smaller fleet strength, but their
warships are newer and have better mobility, while our vessels
are almost obsolete and some are secondhand," Sondakh said.
He said the navy currently had a fleet of only around 129
patrol vessels, deemed insufficient to patrol the world's largest
archipelagic nation which has for long been the world's top
piracy black spot.
The navy has acquired 13 new vessels since 2003 and has
budgeted to buy five to six new boats each year, but it may
increase its annual purchase to 10 ships if the economy
strengthens over the next three years, he said.
"Within 10 years, we will be able to have 50 or 60 new patrol
vessels. If our economy improves, I believe the target (of 10)
could also be achieved," he said.
Antara also quoted a senior navy official, Rear Adm. Bijah
Soebijanto, as saying that the Indonesian navy would require at
least 302 warships and 170 aircraft to defend its sea lanes.
"At least US$2.7 trillion is required for the purpose," he
estimated.
The navy, which has lamented the fact its fleet can sail but
not fight because of aging engines or weaponry, said last year it
would buy two submarines equipped for modern warfare for $600
million from South Korea.
Security experts said Indonesia's navy lacked manpower and
equipment and good maritime intelligence to deter maritime crime.
The International Maritime Bureau has said Indonesian waters
remained the world's most pirate-infested last year, followed by
the Malacca Strait, despite joint military patrols in the busy
waterway bordered by Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.