Royal Schelde corvette prepares to set sail
Two years after presenting its new SIGMA (Ship Integrated Geometrical Modularity Approach) family of surface ships at IDEX 2005, Dutch shipbuilder Royal Schelde will shortly start sea trials for the first of four 90m SIGMA corvettes on order for the Indonesian Navy.
According to Schelde, the modular and scalable SIGMA concept allows customers to tailor ship designs to meet specific operational requirements for offshore patrol vessels, corvettes and light frigates. The design philosophy balances military characteristics and capabilities with a platform that is economical to build and operate, and maximises commonality between ships.
This means that training, logistics, maintenance routines and spares holdings can be optimised. Schelde points out that the majority of the cost of a ship is not dictated by the outer appearance, nor by the structural infrastructure of shell, inner decks and compartments, but by the internal arrangement and density of equipment outfit.
As such, its solution is to focus on commonality in equipment, components, maintenance and training without jeopardising the specific operational capabilities of the various assets. Indonesia confirmed an order for an initial two SIGMA corvettes in January 2004. The first of these, KRI Diponegoro, was floated out from Schelde’s Vlissingen covered dock in September last year to complete outfitting and undertake machinery system setting-to-work. Sea trials will commence shortly. Agreement was reached with Indonesia in May 2005 for two more ships, with the contract signed in January 2006.
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