The Indonesian Navy has recently received its new sail training ship KRI Bima Suci from the Spanish shipbuilder Freire Shipyards.
Measuring in at 111 meters, the new-build is among the largest sail training vessels currently in service; with the Peruvian Navy’s BAP Unión in the lead at 115 meters.
KRI Bima Suci is replacing Kri Dewaruci which was built in Germany in 1953 and served as Indonesia’s floating ambassador for over 60 years.
The Bima Suci is named after a mythological Javanese hero, a symbol of force, bravery and righteousness, who is depicted on the figurehead.
The ship has five decks and will have a crew of up to 200. Oliver Design, another Spanish company, was responsible for designing and installing some 2,000 square meters of interiors with mess rooms, cabins, offices, weapons locker, store rooms and all the services a crew of this size requires.
Oliver Design’s part in the project centered on the architectural design of the ship and the interior design.
The contract for design and construction of the Bima Suci was signed in the Indonesian capital Jakarta in November 2012, following an international competition called by the country’s defense ministry, which attracted a dozen tenders.
Freire shipyards’ tender was submitted with the collaboration of Oliver Design, who were responsible for the architectural design and interiors, and the German firm Detlev Loell & Partners, which supplied the rigging and sails. Construction of the vessel began in the shipyard in Vigo in October 2015.
The Indonesian Navy’s new cadet-training ship combines a classic design with the latest naval technologies. Its 1,300 kW main engine can reach speeds of 12 knots, with a maximum speed under sail of 15 knots. Like its predecessor, the ship will take part in international races and good-will missions.
A crew of 66 sailors, under the command of Captain Sutarmono, have been carrying out sailing exercises on board the Bima Suci before undertaking on September 18 the maiden voyage to its home port in Surabaya, on the north coast of the island of Java. The journey is expected to take around 60 days from the port at Vigo.