Indonesia took delivery of its first-ever aircraft carrier on Friday as the former Italian warship Giuseppe Garibaldi docked at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta.
Senior defense officials, including Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and armed forces chiefs, gathered at the naval facility to welcome the 180-meter vessel after its three-week voyage. The retired warship, transferred as a grant from Italy and slated to be renamed KRI Sriwijaya, can accommodate up to 18 helicopters and more than 800 personnel. Indonesian authorities have allocated substantial funding to retrofit the vessel primarily for non-combat operations, including regional disaster response and humanitarian assistance.
President Prabowo Subianto noted that the carrier's aviation capabilities will bolster ongoing efforts to combat seasonal forest fires across Sumatra and Kalimantan. The commissioning makes Indonesia only the second country in Southeast Asia to operate an aircraft carrier, marking an important step in modernizing the nation's maritime fleet.