Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and Indonesia’s PT PAL have established a cooperation framework for modernizing Indonesia’s first aircraft carrier, KRI Sriwijaya. The ship is the former Italian Navy vessel ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi, which Jakarta received earlier this month under a grant from the Italian government. Under the memorandum of understanding, Fincantieri will contribute expertise from its original design and construction of the carrier, while PT PAL will provide capabilities in shipbuilding, system integration, maintenance and support. The companies will jointly develop the vessel’s modernization plan, with additional Italian and Indonesian stakeholders expected to participate. The arrangement also aims to strengthen local industrial capabilities and contribute to Indonesia’s wider maritime and defence ecosystem. The agreement follows Indonesia’s receipt of its second Brawijaya-class offshore patrol vessel, KRI Prabu Siliwangi (321), from Fincantieri in March. Giuseppe Garibaldi was constructed at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard and delivered to the Italian Navy in 1985, remaining in service until 2024. The vessel is 180 meters (591 feet) long, displaces 13,850 tons and can reach 30 knots (55.5 kilometers/34.5 miles per hour). Designed as a short take-off and vertical landing carrier, it can accommodate around 10 medium-sized helicopters capable of carrying between four and five tonnes of water. Indonesia has planned to use KRI Sriwijaya for humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief missions across the archipelago. Although the government has approved approximately $450 million for the programme, retrofit expenses could reportedly increase to as much as $900 million.
