Indonesia has received its first-ever aircraft carrier, the 41-year-old former Italian navy vessel Giuseppe Garibaldi, at Tanjung Priok seaport in North Jakarta on Friday. President Prabowo Subianto says the ship will help manage disasters across the archipelago, while the navy says it could also be deployed for combat missions if necessary.
A platform for reaching remote areas
Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Muhammad Ali said a vessel capable of carrying many helicopters could help deliver logistics quickly to remote areas affected by disasters. The carrier sailed from Italy through Colombo and the Malacca Strait before arriving at the naval base. Read the context: Pakistan gives its military chief wider command powers.
The ship’s new name honours the Srivijaya empire, a maritime kingdom based in Sumatra that was one of Southeast Asia’s dominant naval and trading powers between the seventh and 13th centuries.
Key points
- The 180-metre vessel can carry up to 18 helicopters.
- It can accommodate up to 830 personnel.
- The ship will be renamed KRI Sriwijaya.
- Italy agreed to give Indonesia the carrier in March after it was retired in 2014.
Part of a wider defence buildup
The carrier was commissioned by the Italian navy in 1985 and retired in 2014. Ali said its condition remained very good and hoped it could serve the Indonesian navy for the next 15 to 20 years.
Indonesia’s Finance Ministry approved $450m in financing for the aircraft carrier programme in 2025, although opposition politicians have raised concerns that the total cost could be higher. Italy’s transfer also supports closer defence engagement and avoids the cost of decommissioning the vessel.
Indonesia expands military partnerships
The delivery comes as Prabowo makes military modernisation and defence cooperation priorities. Indonesia signed an $8.1bn agreement in 2022 to buy 42 French-made Rafale fighter jets, and India confirmed this year that it would supply Indonesia with long-range missiles.
Indonesia has also agreed this year to a Major Defence Cooperation Partnership with the United States and a security treaty with Australia.
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