PT PAL seeks major upgrade of submarine building facilities

Indonesian state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL is seeking major upgrades to enhance its submarine building capabilities.

The company's public affairs office confirmed with Janes on 7 January that it has received the full allocation of funds promised by the government to undertake these upgrades and is seeking suitable vendors and partners who can assist the company with this objective.

Janes first reported in August 2021 that PT PAL will receive an IDR1.28 trillion (USD89.2 million) injection of state funds to support the country's submarine manufacturing ambitions.

The funds have been set aside under Government Regulation Number 84 for 2021, which seeks to establish a fully indigenous submarine building capability in Indonesia. The plan received the endorsement of Indonesian President Joko Widodo in August 2021.

PT PAL assembled its first naval submarine, which is now in service as KRI Alugoro , in 2018. It is the third vessel in the Nagapasa (DSME 209/1400) class. However, the vessel was assembled in Surabaya with prefabricated segments shipped over from South Korea by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering.

In pursuit of a fully indigenous capability, PT PAL will allocate the funds towards procuring equipment such as hydraulic-powered trolleys, bed transfer systems, ship lifts, and specialised welding tools that would allow for these segments to be built fully in-country.

Part of the funds will be used to ensure that proposed submarine launch sites remain free from sedimentary deposits, said the company.

“Once these facilities are in place, we will minimise the need to rely on foreign countries for our major defence systems,” said PT PAL.