Italian commission backs transfer of carrier to Indonesia

A file image of Giuseppe Garibaldi , which is in the process of being transferred to Indonesia. (US Navy)

A foreign affairs and defence commission of the Italian Senate voted on 24 March to issue a favourable opinion on Government Act No 383, a ministerial decree proposing the free transfer of the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi to the Indonesian Navy.

The commission's decision followed a hearing with Italy's National Armaments Director, Vice Admiral Giacinto Ottaviani, who set out the legal, financial, and strategic grounds for the transfer.

A video of the hearing has been released on the website of the Italian Senate.

Giuseppe Garibaldi entered service with the Italian Navy in 1985 after being launched in June 1983. The ship was placed in administrative reserve in 2024.

In his testimony to the commission ahead of the vote, Vice Adm Ottaviani noted that he had personally signed two non-binding instruments with his Indonesian counterparts.

These instruments are namely a letter of intent on maritime defence co-operation, which was signed in October 2025, and a joint statement concerning the possible transfer of Giuseppe Garibaldi in December 2025.

The financial rationale for the transfer was a central element of the vice admiral's testimony.

According to Vice Adm Ottaviani, maintaining the vessel in reserve costs the Italian Navy approximately EUR5 million (USD5.8 million) per year, primarily in electricity, and security costs.

If the ship is not transferred, the alternative would be a disposal and the demolition process is estimated to take no fewer than two years and to cost approximately EUR18.7 million, with the possibility of additional charges if a commercial buyer does not come forward for the scrap.