Navy preparing 20 warships for joint exercise in Sengata

Balikpapan (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Navy was preparing the operation of 20 warships for a joint exercise in Sengata, East Kalimantan.

A spokesman for the Balikpapan Naval Base, Major Arif, said here on Tuesday the presence of the warships from the Eastern Fleet was only aimed at supporting the operation of the naval exercise which would take place from December 14 to 16, 2007.

In addition, the navy will also deploy around 1,200 troops to support the exercise. "We will also operate the latest warships Indonesia has just bought like KRI Surabaya and KRI Diponegoro," he said.

KRI Diponegoro is a Corvette of SIGMA class (Ship Integrated Geometrical Modularity Approach) recently purchased from Royal Schelde in the Netherlands.

"The vessel seems to be Indonesia`s most sophisticated warship," Arif said, adding that KRI Surabaya is a landing platform dock (LPD) capable of carrying 400 naval personnel.

Some 122 meters long and 22 meters wide, the vessel which was built in Korea was equipped with 40 mm cannons and 20 mm machine guns.