PT PAL Indonesia Builds Second Strategic Sea Lift Vessel For Philippines

PT PAL Indonesia (Persero) has completed the construction of the second strategic sea lift vessel (SSV) ordered by the Philippines.

The ship is expected to be rolled out from its yard in Tanjung Perak, Surabaya, East Java, on September 29, Antara News reported.

The second SSV has been readied three or four months faster than the first one which had taken two years to finish, The company president director, M. Firmansyah Arifin said Saturday.

The first sophisticated ship built by the Indonesia was under the category of Lloyd Register class, and was launched on January 18, 2016. It has been named Tarlac by the Philippine government.

"Tarlac was the first warship that Indonesia exported and was part of the development of landing platform dock (LPD) designed with a length of 123 meters, a width of 21.8 meters and was capable of a speed of 16 knots. It can sail for 30 days in high seas," he elaborated.

PT PAL applied the one day one block principle, and the strategy helped finish the ship building project faster, the project leader Turitan Indaryo said.

"This means, every day there were blocks idenitified to be finished. So, those were completed ahead of the schedule," Turitan, current director of planning and business development, explained.

The Philippines has ordered two units of SSV-type LPD, complete with weapons for self-defense.

The SSV comes complete with three helipads and a hangar and is capable of carrying two units of landing craft utility ships plus various kinds of combat vehicles, ranging from military trucks to amphibious assault vehicles.

With a five meter draft, the SSV is able to cover shallow waters and function as a floating hospital. It can be used in search and rescue operations during a disaster.