PT PAL and TNI-AL officials during the First Steel Cutting ceremonies for the new Semarang-class LPD-based Hospital Ship. Photo c/o PT PAL's Facebook page.









Indonesian state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL has started the construction work for the Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) new hospital ship, which is based on the Semarang-class landing platform dock.





The ceremonies for the first steel cutting was held on 9 July 2019 in PT PAL’s shipyard in Surabaya, East Java, and attended by high officials from the Indonesian Ministry of State Owned Enterprises (BUMN), PT PAL and TNI-AL.





The ship will be used for both military and peacetime purposes as a floating hospital, with clinics and emergency services, operating facilities, in-patient care, and other medical facilities. It is expected that the ship will be delivered to the TNI-AL by October 2021.





The Semarang-class landing platform dock was derived from the Tarlac-class designed and delivered for the Philippine Navy. It is around 124 meters long, has a maximum speed of 16 knots and is powered by two 2,920-kilowatt diesel engines. It has a helicopter landing deck for 2 medium helicopters, and a hangar for 1 helicopter.







