Mitsubishi to build new OPV for Indonesia to enhance security coverage
The Tanjung Datu, a current Indonesian OPV. (Photo: Directorate General of Marine and Fisheries Resources Surveillance/public domain)
The offshore patrol vessel (OPV) will join its predecessor vessel in enforcing security around Indonesia’s coastline.
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), has won a contract to build an OPV for the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (BAKAMLA).
The OPV project will fulfil a grant agreed in March 2024 between the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to enhance Indonesia’s maritime security.
The project is expected to deliver the OPV in March 2028 and the vessel will be 86m long, with a speed of 22kt and space for 70 crewmembers. The contract has an approximate value of JPY9 billion (US$58 million).
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The provision of a new OPV to the BAKAMLA is expected to increase capability both in maritime rescue and more particularly in law enforcement and police actions. The new OPV will join the Tanjung Dato OPV that Indonesia acquired in 2018 and which still has 13 years before its scheduled out-of-service date in 2038.
The need for both the Tanjung Dato and the new OPV from Mitsubishi comes as the result of a shift in naval policy in Indonesia. The focus has moved towards equipping the navy with more combat vessels and high-end frigates, which has left the coast guard with more policing work to do and fewer available vessels with which to do it.
The new vessel, which will be built at MHI's Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works, will help to redress the balance between coast guard vessel requirements and available ships to get the job done.
MHI noted that it will continue to build vessels both for its own domestic market and for export to other countries. The company recently held a naming ceremony for the latest Mogami-class frigate in Japan.
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