TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - PT PAL Indonesia, a state-owned shipbuilding company, plans to launch a submarine infrastructure which will be the first in Southeast Asia in September this year, a company director said on Thursday.
The director of design and technology, Saiful Anwar, said the facility would be used to meet the target of building 12 submarines ordered by the defense ministry.
"Right now we are cooperating with South Korea to build three submarines which is serving as a training ground for Indonesian human resources," he said.
Of the three submarines one plans to be assembled fully by the Indonesian workers while the fourth and the rest will be fully built by Indonesia, he said.
"In September 2016 the building for submarine production will be completed and in December 2016 a number of equipment will come along with the submarine ordered from South Korea for assembling here," he said.
Regarding human resources Saiful said that a total 206 workers would undergo training in South Korea and until now 130 of them have already finished.
"Around 130 have finished and 30 more have gone there and will be followed by others later. These people will be the ones who will build submarines here later following the availability of the infrastructure," he said.
Saiful said he hoped with the availability of the submarine infrastructure Indonesia will be able to develop its potential especially in the maritime sector and build by itself a submarine in the future.
"A submarine building technology is the highest level of shipbuilding technology because of the method of regulating balance being applied there when the ship sinks and surfaces," he said.
ANTARA
