Mitsubishi Shipbuilding will deliver the offshore patrol vessel to Indonesia by March 2028.

The Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (BAKAMLA) has signed a major contract with Mitsubishi Shipbuilding for the construction of an offshore patrol vessel (OPV).

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, announced the deal after talks in Tokyo concluded on 30 January.

Once constructed at Mitsubishi’s Shimonoseki Shipyard and Machinery Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture, the OPV will be delivered to Indonesia’s BAKAMLA by a set deadline of March 2028. It will join the KN Tanjung Datu OPV Indonesia acquired in 2018.

Neither party divulged the total value of the contract, although some reports indicate an approximate value of JPY9 billion (USD58 million).

This OPV contract forms part of a grant agreement signed between the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in March 2024, which intends to enhance maritime capabilities for maritime security.

Analysis – Indonesia looks to plug gaps in maritime security

BAKAMLA and the Indonesian Navy regularly collaborate on patrols to protect its waters. And, in May 2024, one of many joint operations with the Australian Border Force’s Maritime Border Command detained 36 illegal foreign fishers.

The Tanjung-Datu, which Indonesia’s new OPV will join, has been involved in shadowing and expelling Chinese Coast Guard ships identified in Indonesia waters.

Given the increasing tensions in the South China Sea, these OPVs are likely to play a greater role in national defence, in addition to their traditional functions of combating piracy and illegal fishing.

With Japan similarly focused on dispelling Chinese naval presence within the so-called ‘nine-dash line’ zone of the South China Sea, additional OPVs could be acquired through JICA.

Alex Blair