[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] An Indonesian submarine that underwent overhaul maintenance at the domestic defense company Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering has disappeared.
According to foreign media on the 22nd, the Indonesian Ministry of Defense stated in a press release that the German-made submarine KRI Nanggala 402 lost contact while training near Java Island and the Bali Strait, which connects the Indian Ocean and the Bali Sea.
The submarine had 53 Indonesian Navy personnel on board and is currently being searched for. Indonesia has requested assistance from Australia and Singapore.
The Indonesian Ministry of Defense explained that the submarine requested permission to dive around 3 a.m. local time and then lost contact. They also added that an oil spill was observed near the diving site around 7 a.m.
The Indonesian Navy estimates that the submarine sank to a depth of 600 to 700 meters underwater. The 1,395-ton KRI Nanggala 402 was built in 1977 by the German shipbuilding company Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) and delivered to the Indonesian Navy in 1981. The submarine is 59.5 meters long, 7.3 meters wide, and operates at a maximum speed of 40 km/h, carrying out underwater operational missions.
According to the Indonesian Cabinet Secretariat website, the submarine underwent remodeling at Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering from 2009 to 2012, significantly enhancing the performance of equipment such as radar, sonar, and combat systems.
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