Indonesian shipbuilder cuts steel for new class of 90 m OPVs

Shipbuilder PT Daya Radar Utama (DRU) has carried out a first steel-cutting ceremony for two new 90 m offshore patrol vessels that will be operated by the Indonesian Navy (Tentara Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Laut: TNI-AL).

The steel sections were cut on 26 August at PT DRU's facilities in Lampung, South Sumatra.

The Indonesian Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced on the same day that the steel was for two vessels, which are designated “OPV” and “OPV 90 meter”.

However, Janes has since verified with a representative from PT DRU that despite the separate designations, the two vessels have similar specifications and will form a single class once they are in service.

The vessel that has been referred as ‘OPV' is being funded with state defence budget allocated for the TNI-AL, while ‘OPV 90 meter' is being paid for with proceeds from a domestic loan.

As reported by Janes in 2019, the TNI-AL requested IDR4.8 trillion (USD332 million) in domestic loans for a new class of offshore patrol vessels.

The new class will fulfil operational gaps that exist between the service's patrol boats and its larger surface combatants.

The vessel will also be capable of taking on ‘mothership' operations for the deployment of unmanned aerial, surface, and underwater vehicles.

The offshore patrol vessels will each displace 1,800 tonnes at standard load and 2,100 tonnes at full load, according to data provided tom Janes by PT DRU.

It will have a beam of 13.5 m with high tensile steel for its hull and marine grade aluminium for its superstructure.