"I appreciate our navy's endeavors to locate the missing submarine by involving Australia and Singapore in the search missionJakarta (ANTARA) - Azis Syamsuddin, Deputy Speaker of Indonesia's House of Reresentatives (DPR), supports the Indonesian Navy's decision to involve foreign navies to search for KRI Nanggala-402 which has gone missing in waters north of Bali Island since early Wednesday.
"I appreciate our navy's endeavors to locate the missing submarine by involving Australia and Singapore in the search mission," he said in a statement that ANTARA quoted here on Thursday.
He, however, suggested that the Indonesian Navy also get the Indonesian Maritime Security Board (Bakamla) involved in the search efforts to find precise coordinate points of the missing diesel-electric attack submarine.
Indonesia has sought help from Singapore and Australia in the search for its submarine KRI Nanggala-402.
"We have had good cooperation with Singapore and Australia in the search and handling of training accidents," Military Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto said.
Besides appealing to the two friendly countries for help, the Indonesian Navy has pulled in all ships equipped with underwater devices for the search and rescue mission, he informed.
Contact with German-made KRI Nanggala-402, which was carrying 53 sailors on board, was lost while it was preparing for a torpedo drill in Bali waters.
"The last contact was made at 4:30 a.m. local time. There was no more contact when the torpedo drill was to be conducted," Tjahjanto informed.
Tjahjanto is currently in Bali on a working visit along with National Police chief, Gen.Listyo Sigit Prabowo.
They were scheduled to observe the submarine's torpedo drill on Thursday, following which Tjahjanto was to offer a brevet to the national police chief.
The missing 209/1300-type submarine was built in Germany's Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in 1977, and was officially inducted into the navy in 1981.
Its propulsion system uses a Siemens low-speed diesel electric motor, connected directly to the propeller shaft, which generates about five thousand shaft horsepower (shp).
The electrical power is stored in batteries, which make up 25 percent of the weight of the vessel, according to the navy. Four MTU diesel supercharged engines are responsible for generating electricity in the vessel.
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Translator: Imam B, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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