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Comments on other issues: Navy welcomes new research vessel
May 15, OnlineThe Indonesian Navy received the delivery of a French-made KRI Rigel 933 multipurpose research vessel at Jakarta International Container Terminal 2, Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, on Friday
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strong>May 15, Online
The Indonesian Navy received the delivery of a French-made KRI Rigel 933 multipurpose research vessel at Jakarta International Container Terminal 2, Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, on Friday.
'I hope it will be sufficient to meet the need for ships to update our navigation data and to research sea depth, topography and salinity. ['¦] I expect the data to be used in national development efforts,' Navy chief of staff Adm. Ade Supandi said.
Your comments:
I think the ship's purpose is to map the seas around Indonesia, which will be very useful for Indonesia's submarines.
It's wise to be lightly armed as it will be involved in mapping the seas around Natuna and where the Chinese Navy may also be active, and where both Navies may deploy submarines and other naval vessels and maybe later, oil and gas drilling platforms like the Chinese already are building in the China Seas at their 'nine-dash-line'.
Eddy Saf
That is a research ship, but it is still a military one. I suppose the weapons are there for self-defense, just in case.
Alex Garner
The Indonesian Navy has yet to prove it is able to conduct oceanographic surveys in Indonesian waters. So far, most oceanographic research of Indonesian seas has been done by foreigners (the Dutch in the 1930s, the US in the 1960s and the French and the British more recently).
A number of Indonesian 'partners' have been involved in the research, but they were often seasick and most had no research objectives apart from a single outstanding Indonesian oceanographer who has been able to publish results.
However, they imposed heavy per day allowance rates on the foreign researchers' budget.
In each oceanographic cruise by foreigners, an Indonesian 'security officer' from the Indonesian Navy spies on the activities of the foreign researchers.
In addition, some of the Indonesian counterparts posing as researchers or students are in fact Navy officers in disguise who report to the 'security officer'.
Oceanographic research in Indonesian waters should be encouraged, as our knowledge is still limited.
Sabar P.
