Fincantieri and the Indonesian state-owned shipyard PT PAL plan to modernise the former Italian aircraft carrier “Giuseppe Garibaldi”.
The vessel, which is set to be commissioned as the “KRI Sriwijaya” for the Indonesian Navy, is to be upgraded to carry out a range of military and humanitarian tasks.
To this end, the companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Jakarta. This forms the framework for cooperation on the planned modernisation programme. The partners have yet to finalise the specific scope of the work and the respective responsibilities. No details regarding costs or the timetable have been published.
The “Giuseppe Garibaldi” was built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone and delivered to the Italian Navy in 1985. With its transfer to Indonesia, the ship is set to continue its operational career under a new name. From 1987 to 2011, it served as the fleet’s flagship – that is, as the most important vessel carrying the naval command on board. Its duties were gradually taken over by the more modern vessels “Cavour” and “Trieste”.
As the original designer and builder, Fincantieri is contributing its expertise in the ship’s platform. PT PAL is to contribute its capabilities in naval shipbuilding, system integration, maintenance and technical support.
The modernisation is intended to improve the ship’s operational capability for defence tasks, maritime security operations, as well as humanitarian aid and disaster relief missions. Furthermore, the partners aim to involve other industrial companies and technology providers from both countries. This is also intended to build up local expertise in Indonesia.
For Fincantieri, the agreement deepens its cooperation with the South-East Asian country. Previous projects include the multi-purpose combat vessels “KRI Brawijaya-320” and “KRI Prabu Siliwangi-321” – both of the PPA class, originally developed for the Italian Navy – which have already been delivered.
Group CEO Pierroberto Folgiero described South-East Asia as a key market for Fincantieri’s international growth. Indonesia plays a central role in the company’s long-term plans for the region.
Scrapping the “Garibaldi” would have been costly
Even scrapping the vessel would have cost the state a great deal of money. According to the report, the process would have taken at least two years and cost nearly €19 million. Finding a buyer for such an old ship was also considered difficult.
