DSME launches 2nd submarine for Indonesia

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) officials pose with Indonesian Navy officers during a ceremony to launch a second submarine built for the Southeast Asian country at DSME’s shipyard on Geoje Island, South Gyeongsang Province. / Courtesy of DSME

By Lee Hyo-sik

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) launched a 1,400-ton diesel submarine for the Indonesian Navy, the shipbuilder said Monday.

It is the second of three submarines to be built by DSME under a $1.1 billion contract signed in 2011. In March, DSME held a launch ceremony for the first submarine, according to company officials.

About 60 people, including DSME executives and officers of the Indonesian Navy, attended the launch at the company’s shipyard on Geoje Island, South Gyeongsang Province, Monday.

DSME and the Indonesian Navy will jointly test the submarine for the next year to confirm the underwater vessel is fully operational. With a service life of 30 years, the submarine is capable of cruising 18,520 kilometers without a port call, twice the distance between Busan and Los Angeles.

“DSME used only its own technologies to design and produce the submarines for the Indonesian Navy,” a company official said. “We will do everything we can to complete tests of the vessels and hand them over in their best shape in October next year.”

The first submarine, which is currently undergoing sea trials, is scheduled to be delivered to the Southeast Asian country next March. The third will be delivered some time in 2018.