TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Ministry of Defense announced that the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi, to be renamed KRI Gajah Mada, is scheduled to berth in Jakarta on September 19, 2026. The vessel has been en route from Italy to Indonesia since late August.
"As planned, the ship is scheduled to arrive and dock in Jakarta on September 19, 2026," Brig. Gen. Rico Ricardo Sirait, Head of the Defense Information Bureau at the Ministry of Defense's General Secretariat, said via WhatsApp on Friday, September 4, 2026.
Rico stated that the ship will be crewed by approximately 400 personnel, including Indonesian Navy sailors currently aboard.
The presence of the Indonesian Navy personnel aims to facilitate training and operational familiarization as part of preparations to command the vessel.
"Regarding plans for its appearance in the upcoming Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) anniversary series, technical details will be announced once the final schedule is set," Rico said.
The Giuseppe Garibaldi aircraft carrier set sail from Italy on Monday, August 24, 2026. The voyage to Indonesia is expected to take approximately three weeks.
En route, the ship is scheduled to transit the Suez Canal and make port calls in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Colombo, Sri Lanka, before continuing its journey to Indonesia.
Previously, on July 20, 2026, House of Representatives (DPR) Commission I approved the acceptance of the Giuseppe Garibaldi aircraft carrier as a grant from the Italian government to the Ministry of Defense. Under Law No. 17/2003, foreign grants or loans require parliamentary approval.
Director General of Defense Strength at the Ministry of Defense, Hendrikus Haris Haryanto, explained that the grant process initiated with a letter from the Representative of the Italian Ministry of Defense Coordination Committee, under Protocol No. 001, dated May 8, 2026.
This letter was subsequently followed up by the Ministry of Defense through a technical evaluation detailed in a letter from the Navy Chief of Staff (KSAL) under Reference No. R/328/V/2026 on May 26, 2026.
Read: How Indonesia, Qatar Advance Talks on Defense Cooperation
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
