Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Successfully Delivers Third Indonesian Submarine

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) has proven itself as the undisputed leader in South Korea's submarine sector by successfully delivering the last of three submarines ordered from Indonesia, marking the first overseas submarine order by a Korean company.

DSME announced on the 17th that the delivery ceremony for the third and final 1,400-ton submarine, ordered by the Indonesian Ministry of Defense in 2011, was held at the PT.PAL shipyard in Surabaya, Indonesia.

The ceremony was attended by over 100 domestic and international guests, including Prabowo Subianto, Indonesian Minister of Defense; Kang Eun-ho, Administrator of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration; Park Tae-sung, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Indonesia; and Park Doo-sun, Vice President of DSME. Notably, Yudo Margono, Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy, who will operate the submarines, and Erick Thohir, Minister of State-Owned Enterprises, also participated, adding significance to the defense cooperation between the two countries.

The submarine, named ALUGORO, is South Korea's first export-type submarine independently developed based on the Jangbogo-class submarines delivered to the Republic of Korea Navy. It measures 61 meters in length and weighs 1,400 tons. The third Indonesian submarine was constructed in block form at the Okpo shipyard and then finally assembled and sea-trialed at Indonesia's PT.PAL shipyard under DSME's technical support before delivery. It is expected to perform maritime security and territorial waters defense missions for Indonesia for the next 30 years.

Equipped to carry a crew of 40, the submarine can operate round-trip without intermediate stops over a distance of 10,000 nautical miles (18,520 km) from Busan Port to Los Angeles Port, demonstrating excellent underwater operational capabilities essential to submarines. In particular, all construction processes including design, production, and sea trials were carried out using in-house technology, reaffirming DSME's submarine construction expertise as the pinnacle of shipbuilding technology.

DSME had already been recognized for its capabilities through two Indonesian submarine overhaul projects in 2003 and 2009, and the successful construction of the first submarine in 2017. Additionally, DSME secured another Indonesian submarine overhaul project in 2018. The record of being the first Asian company to export submarines was made possible through active support from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.

Vice President Park Doo-sun of DSME stated, "In line with the Indonesian Navy's plan to strengthen underwater capabilities, DSME will support PT.PAL shipyard in acquiring the capacity to independently build submarines. Furthermore, we hope to continue our partnership through technology transfer and cooperation, which are crucial elements in the upcoming second submarine project."

DSME has exported various vessels including Bangladesh frigates, UK and Norwegian naval support ships, Thai frigates, Malaysian surface training ships, and now Indonesian submarines, establishing itself as the only comprehensive warship exporter in South Korea. With its unmatched defense technology, DSME is expected to gain a competitive edge in securing various overseas projects in the future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.