Marine Transport Director General A. Tonny Budiono noted in a written statement in Jakarta on Thursday that KN Kalian was one of the two shelter mother ships ordered by the Marine Transportation Directorate and built at the Caputra Mitra Sejati Corps shipyard where the first vessel KN Sibaru-Baru was launched earlier on July 12, 2017.
According to Budiono, the navigational ships built by the government was a testament of Indonesia being a maritime nation and was the responsibility of the Ministry of Transport to ensure the safety of ships navigating through the countrys waters.
"The building of two shelter mother ships also demonstrates the governments commitment to increasing the fleet of navigation ships in Indonesia," he noted.
He also remarked that these mother ships play an important role in navigation activities by serving as lighthouses and facilitating the distribution of supplies.
"The nations ships, which we have already built, should be maintained well, so they remain in prime condition and are reliable for carrying out navigation tasks," Budiono emphasized.
He also lauded the staff of Caputra Mitra Sejati that had already completed the task of building these ships within the set schedule.
Budiono urged their shipyard to always follow procedures, prioritize safety aspects, and pay close attention to quality while building their ships.
"With the project of building these two navigation ships already completed, hopefully, it would further strengthen our navigational fleet and would improve the reliability of the Sailing Navigation Help Service (SBNP) to make the trip safer and more secure in the Indonesian waters," he pointed out.
KN Kalian was scheduled to start operating in the second-class navigation district of Palembang, while KN Sibaru-Baru would be deployed in the second-class navigation district of Teluk Bayur.
The project to construct these ships was funded by allocating Rp246.2 billion from the national budget. Each ship measures 62 meters in length, 12 meters in width, and 4.7 meters in height, with a cruising range of four thousand nautical miles. The ships are powered by engine that can enable them to cruise at a speed of 12 knots.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
