Mystery mega yacht impounded by Italian authorities

Yahoo – AFP, May 6, 2022 

'Scheherazade' worth an estimated $700 million, is the subject of a probe
into its ownership by Italy's financial police (AFP/Federico SCOPPA)

The Italian authorities on Friday impounded a mega yacht at the centre of a mystery over its ownership as speculation swirled it might even belong to the Russian president. 

"Scheherazade", worth an estimated $700 million, has been the subject of a probe into its ownership by Italy's financial police. 

The Italian probe has helped "establish significant economic and business links between the person who officially possesses the Scheherazade and eminent people in the Russian government," as well as Russian figures sanctioned by the West following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Italian ministry of economy and finance said in a statement. 

Following the probe, "the minister of Economy and Finance, Daniele Franco, has signed a decree impounding" the yacht, the statement added. 

It had been berthed for several months for maintenance work at a shipyard at the Marina di Carrara, within the western seaside town of Massa. 

But the yacht was back on the water and seemed about to set sail on Friday, an AFP photographer said before the Italian government statement was issued. 

The 140-metre yacht features two helipads, a swimming pool and a movie theatre,
according to the SuperYachtFan website (AFP/Federico SCOPPA)

But the mystery remains unresolved: who does "Scheherazade" belong to? A Russian oligarch? Vladimir Putin? 

Built by Germany's Luerssen in 2020, the 140-metre yacht features two helipads, a swimming pool and a movie theatre, according to the SuperYachtFan website, which researches yachts and their owners. 

Italian police had said they were doing their best to identify the owner. 

"It's not always easy to attribute ownership" of a yacht, a source close to the Italian probe told AFP in late March. 

The same source said earlier Friday there was "nothing new" in the investigation. 

Researchers at the anti-corruption foundation of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny link the yacht to Putin. 

They cited a crew list in their possession that included several members of Russia's federal protective service, charged with Putin's security. 

But the Italian Sea Group said in a statement the yacht was "not attributable to the property of Russian President Vladimir Putin". 

The shipyard's owner said its assessment was based on "the documentation in its possession and following the findings of the checks carried out by the relevant authorities".

US Navy evacuating virus-struck aircraft carrier Roosevelt

Yahoo – AFP, Paul HANDLEY, April 1, 2020

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper says he does not see US military adversaries
taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to threaten the United States (AFP
Photo/Brendan Smialowski)

The US Navy is evacuating thousands of sailors from the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in Guam after its captain warned a coronavirus outbreak was threatening the lives of the crew.

With dozens of COVID-19 cases discovered, a senior official said the navy was rapidly arranging hotel rooms on the Pacific island for many of the 4,000-plus crew, while organizing a skeleton team of uninfected sailors to keep the ship operational.

Pentagon officials admitted the Roosevelt's plight was a challenge for military readiness, noting that defense forces worldwide are equally confronted by the pandemic.

"The plan at this time is to remove as many people off the Teddy Roosevelt as we can, understanding that we have to leave a certain amount of folks on-board to perform normal watch-standing duties that keep the ship running," Rear Admiral John Menoni, commander for the Marianas region, told reporters in Guam on Wednesday.

Earlier this week the captain told the Pentagon that the new coronavirus was spreading uncontrollably through his ship and called for immediate help to quarantine its crew.

"The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating," Captain Brett Crozier wrote in a letter to superiors.

"We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die," he pleaded.

"Removing the majority of personnel from a deployed US nuclear aircraft carrier and isolating them for two weeks may seem like an extraordinary measure," Crozier said. "This is a necessary risk."

Hotels in Guam

Menoni said a plan was being developed to get as many sailors off the ship as possible, and they were awaiting the arrival of 40 US Marines health specialists to help in testing.

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper says he does not see US military adversaries 

taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to threaten the United States (AFP 

Photo/Brendan Smialowski)

He said only sailors deemed healthy would be housed outside the Guam naval base, a strategically important Pentagon port in the middle of the western Pacific Ocean.

"No one is allowed off the base unless they have tested negative for COVID-19," Menoni said.

Crozier did not give the number of infections aboard the ship, and the Navy is not offering figures for security reasons.

But one official said it was fewer than the 100 reported by US media.

More than 1,400 Defense Department employees, contractors and dependents have been infected by the novel coronavirus, including 771 military personnel, the Pentagon said.

Balancing health and security

The Roosevelt's docking in Guam on March 28 left both of the Pentagon's western Pacific aircraft carriers in port, with the USS Ronald Reagan berthed in Japan, also reportedly suffering an unknown number of coronavirus cases.

On Tuesday Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly admitted it was a challenge for US forces' defense readiness.

"This is a unique circumstance and we're working through it, and trying to maintain that proper balance, to ensure our friends and allies, and most importantly our foes and adversaries out there, understand that we are not standing down," he told CNN.

"We have the responsibility to protect the seas and to protect our friends and allies around the world. We have to adjust the best way we can to do that."

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he did not see anyone testing US military readiness amid the pandemic.

"Not at this time," he said on Tuesday.

"What we find, tend to find right now, it's that a lot of countries have turned inward and are focusing inward," he said.

Three missing Dutch warships in Java Sea were salvaged for scrap

DutchNews, February 13, 2017

The HNLMS Kortenaer in the 1930s 

Three Dutch naval wrecks that went missing from the bottom of the Java Sea appear to have been taken illegally by scrap dealers, NOS reports. 

An investigation by Dutch and Indonesian experts found evidence of a salvage operation at the sites where cruisers SNLMS De Ruyter, Java and Kortenaer were sunk by Japanese ships in 1942, with the loss of around 1,100 sailors. 

Prime minister Mark Rutte asked the Indonesian government to investigate after divers reported in December that the wrecks had vanished. 

Photographs of the seabed and interviews led researchers to the conclusion that the ships had been deliberately removed. Education and science minister Jet Bussemaker said a detailed study of the seabed would now be carried out. 

In total seven shipwrecks have disappeared from the Java Sea. Divers made the discovery during preparations for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Java Sea which involved Dutch, Indonesian, British, American and Australian warships. 

A total of 2,200 Allied servicemen died, including 900 Dutch and 250 Indonesian nationals. The battle led to the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies. 

Related Article:

Indonesia says not to blame for missing WWII shipwrecks

Indonesia says not to blame for missing WWII shipwrecks

Yahoo – AFP, Dessy Sagita, November 17, 2016

The Dutch and Indonesian naval commanders laid a wreath during a 2014 ceremony
 to commemorate the 1150 sailors who died in the Battle of the Java Sea in
1942 (AFP Photo)

Jakarta (AFP) - Indonesia refused to take the blame Thursday for the disappearance of at least six British and Dutch World War II shipwrecks -- considered war graves -- that investigators believe could have been salvaged for scrap.

Former colonial ruler The Netherlands has launched a probe into how three Dutch navy ships seemingly vanished from the bed of the Java Sea, while Britain has urged Indonesia to investigate what has happened to three of its vessels.

It is believed the military wrecks -- lost in 1942 during the Battle of the Java Sea -- were removed by illegal scavengers looking for scrap metal, an effort that could have taken years.

More than 900 Dutch and 250 Indo-Dutch sailors died during the battle in which the Allied navies suffered a disastrous defeat by the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Indonesian authorities have sought to distance themselves from the mystery, saying they could not be expected to protect the sites without assistance.

"The Dutch government cannot blame the Indonesian government because they never asked us to protect those ships," said Bambang Budi Utomo, head of the National Archeological Centre under the Ministry of Education and Culture.

"As there was no agreement or announcement, when the ships go missing, it is not our responsibility."

Amateur divers in 2002 discovered the long-lost wrecks of three Dutch ships, 60 years after they sank while in action against Japanese forces.

But an international expedition that sailed to the wreck site ahead of next year's 75th anniversary of the battle was shocked to discover the wrecks had vanished.

Britain expressed its distress at the disappearance of its own warships and asked Indonesia to "take appropriate action" to protect the sites from further disturbance.

But Utomo said Indonesia did not have the resources to maintain a constant patrol over its vast archipelago, a hotspot for other criminal enterprises like illegal fishing and people smuggling.

Row over naval war graves (AFP Photo)

'Looters are fearless'

Treasure hunters and scrap collectors are lured to Indonesia's relic-rich seas, experts say, where countless vessels have gone to a watery grave over centuries of trade, colonial conquest and war.

"Looting is really huge, not only on these World War II shipwrecks, but also on ancient shipwrecks," said Veronique Degroot, a Jakarta-based archaeologist.

The prize find for scavengers targeting the warships would be the huge bronze propellers used to power these juggernauts -- a far more lucrative find than iron or other scrap, according to Utomo.

"The looting must have been going on for years for such a huge ship to disappear," he said.

"Looters are fearless," he added, saying that divers risked death and injury sucking air through tubes to retrieve valuable scrap and antiquities, taking the wreck apart piece by piece.

While some larger, commercial operations use cranes and platforms to wrench heavy loads from the seabed, smaller ventures keep a low profile as they ship metal to scrapyards along Indonesia's thousands of kilometres of coastline.

Australia has been working closely with Indonesia to protect HMAS Perth -- which sunk off Java in World War II, claiming hundreds of lives -- after discovering in 2013 that the warship was being plundered for brass.

A spokesman for the Indonesian navy said the missing ships should not have been disturbed as they were war graves.

"However, the Indonesian navy cannot monitor all areas all the time," spokesman Gig Jonias Mozes Sipasulta told AFP.

"If they ask why the ships are missing, I'm going to ask them back, why didn't they guard the ships? They should have been more proactive."

Naval warships and war graves are protected under international law that makes the desecration of such shipwrecks illegal.

The HNLMS Kortenaer in the 1930s

Related Articles:

British start investigation into vanished Java Sea ships

British second world war shipwrecks in Java Sea destroyed by illegal scavenging

Putin tells navy in Mediterranean to work with French 'as allies'

Yahoo – AFP, 17 Nov 2015

Russian warship the BSF Saratov 150 sails through the Bosphorus off Istanbul
en route to the eastern Mediterranean in September (AFP Photo/Ozan Kose)

Moscow (AFP) - President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday ordered the Russian navy in the Mediterranean to establish contact with its French counterparts and work together "as allies" in a campaign against the Islamic State group in Syria

Putin instructed his military to work out a joint Russian-French action plan against IS militants as he pushes the idea of establishing a broad anti-IS coalition that would involve both Russia and the West.

"It's necessary to establish direct contact with the French and work with them as allies," Putin told the military top brass at a meeting after French President Francois Hollande said the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle would be deployed to the eastern Mediterranean.

"It's necessary to work out with them a plan of joint actions both at sea and in the air," Putin said, adding that both the chief of the general staff and the defence ministry had received orders to that effect.

The Kremlin said separately that Putin and Hollande had agreed in phone talks to ramp up cooperation and tackle "international terrorism" together.

"It has been agreed to ensure closer contact and coordination between the military and security service agencies of the two countries during operations against terrorist groups by Russia and France in Syria," the Kremlin said in a statement following the phone call between Putin and Hollande.

The two will further discuss the fight against terrorism in a meeting in Moscow on November 26, the Kremlin said.

Putin has been seeking to capitalise on shifting dynamics in the West following Friday's terror attacks in Paris and the bombing of a Russian passenger plane over Sinai in October, arguing that Russia and the West should unite against a common enemy.

Earlier Tuesday Russia announced that the Airbus A321 carrying 224 people, most of them Russian tourists, was knocked out of sky by a bomb and pledged vengeance.

On Tuesday, Russian strategic bombers hit Islamic State group targets in Syria's Raqa and Deir Ezzor provinces, defence minister Sergei Shoigu said.

He added that cruise missile strikes had also hit Aleppo and Idlib provinces.

The strikes are the first time that Russia has deployed its strategic long-range bombers during its air campaign in Syria and came as Shoigu said Moscow had doubled the number of combat sorties it flew over the country.

In total, Shoigu said that Russian forces hit 206 "terrorist" targets in Syria in the latest wave of strikes.

Apart from a spate of missiles fired from its Caspian Sea fleet in October, up until now Moscow has mainly relied on smaller fighter jets to hit targets in Syria but has now deployed the more powerful long-range bombers from Russian territory.

China hosts US military visit to aircraft carrier Liaoning

A US naval delegation has paid an official visit to Beijing's lone aircraft carrier, Chinese media sources say. The move comes as tension ratchets up between the two regional powers.

Deutsche Welle, 21 Oct 2015

China hosted the US Navy representatives earlier this week, the country's media reported on Wednesday, amid growing concern that territorial disputes in the South China Sea are leading Beijing and Washington toward conflict.

The 27-member delegation boarded the Liaoning, China's largest warship, on Monday to discuss with Chinese officials such topics as personnel training, medical support and strategies in aircraft carrier development, the Chinese navy's official blog reported.

The following day, US officials visited the navy's submarine academy.

Provocative moves

The visit comes amid heightened tension between Beijing and Washington after a series of aggressive steps taken by China to assert its authority in the South China Sea.

Earlier this month, China announced it had built two lighthouses on the contested Huayang Reef, which is also claimed by Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and other countries. Beijing lays claim to most of the South China Sea, something that has been repeatedly denied by Washington and its allies in the region.

The US government has called on China to halt its construction in the region and recently said it might sail its Navy ships in the vicinity of China's man-made islands, a provocative move from Beijing's point of view.

Easing tensions

The official trip earlier this week has been interpreted as an attempt by both sides to ease tensions and increase military transparency.

An editorial in China's state-sanctioned Global Times newspaper, for example, said the visit increased mutual understanding and trust while also displaying China's military confidence.

The Liaoning, a refitted former Soviet aircraft carrier, has come to be seen by many as a symbol for China's increasing military might. Former US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel participated in Washington's first official visit to the carrier in 2014.

blc/mz (AP, AFP, Reuters)

PLA warships visit San Diego after RIMPAC

Want China Times, Xinhua 2014-08-12

Chinese frigates arrive at the US Naval Base in San Diego, Aug. 10. (Photo/Xinhua)

A Chinese flotilla arrived at Naval Base San Diego on Sunday for a five-day visit after its debut in the world's largest maritime military drill.

The Task Group 171, which include missile destroyer Haikou, missile frigate Yueyang and supply ship Qiandaohu, with a ship-borne helicopter and more than 700 soldiers and officers, participated in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise off Hawaii.

"Military to military engagements, like RIMPAC and this port visit are very important to the relationship between our navies. They help us build trust and enhance transparency," Rear Adm. Patrick Lorge, commander of US Navy Region Southwest said at a welcome ceremony featuring Chinese cultural performances.

Commander of the Chinese fleet, Rear Admiral Shen Jinlong, said, "China's participation in the RIMPAC with four naval ships represents an important measure to push forward the new type navy-to-navy relations characterized by harmony, progress and pragmatic cooperation and it will have a very positive effect on advancing the relationships between our navies."

"The Chinese and US navies will conduct extensive and in-depth exchanges during the visit," he told Xinhua.

Visitors were invited to tour the three Chinese warships as Chinese lion dancers and drummers performed on the pier during the ceremony.

"The Chinese Navy has shown the openness and confidence and I am so impressed with the destroyer Haikou," Tom Chen, a visitor, said.

RIMPAC, started in 1971, is the world's largest multinational maritime military drill. A total of 22 nations participated in this year's naval drill from June 26 to Aug. 1.

Indonesia Navy Joins Search for MH370

Jakarta Globe, Mar 09, 2014

Indonesian Navy warships. (JG Photo)

Jakarta. Five Indonesian warships and a helicopter have joined the search for Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which went missing in the early hours of Saturday morning over the Gulf of Thailand with 239 people on board, Indonesian state media reported on Sunday.

“I’ve communicated with the commander of the Malaysian Navy, Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Aziz,” Indonesian Navy commander Admiral Marsetio told the state-run Antara news agency in Jakarta on Sunday. “They asked us to help look for the Malaysian Airlines aircraft that has been declared missing.”

Marsetio said the five warships and the helicopter would comb waters around the Malacca Strait to search for any possible wreckage of the plane. Air safety specialists have been widely quoted in the media as saying the sudden loss of contact indicated something sudden happened to the aircraft, and the focus of the search on Sunday remained in the Gulf of Thailand around the plane’s last known location.

The Boeing 777-200 aircraft vanished from radar screens on early Saturday morning, about an hour after it took off from Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing.

Calls to the TNI were not returned by Sunday afternoon.

The number of Indonesian nationals traveling on the plane was revised down from 12 to seven on Saturday after airline staff confused the country codes of India and Indonesia.

The passenger manifest lists the Indonesian travelers as Firman Siregar, 25; Ferryindra Suadaya, 42; Herryindra Suadaya, 35; Lo Sugianto, 42; Indrasuria Tanurisam, 57; Vinny Chynthyatio, 47 and Willy Surijanto Wang, 53.

“Family members of the MH370 passengers from Beijing who wish to travel will be flown in stages to Kuala Lumpur on the available flights,” MAS chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said. ” We are also communicating with the families from other nations to similarly arrange for their travel to Kuala Lumpur.”

While the airline continued to try and communicate with the families of those on board, the Malaysian navy said it was investigating whether the plane may have attempted to turn back immediately before contact was lost.

“There is a distinct possibility the airplane did a turn-back, deviating from the course,” Daud said. “One of the possibilities is that it was returning to Kuala Lumpur.”

Malaysian authorities said they were in possession of CCTV footage of two men confirmed to have checked in together and traveled on stolen passports.

Police and intelligence services in Malaysia had ruled nothing out on Sunday, while the UK newspaper the Daily Telegraph said it had confirmed that the men traveling as Austrian Christian Kozel and Italian Luigi Maraldi had tickets to fly on from Beijing to Amsterdam on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Related Articles:

Missing MH370 likely to have disintegrated mid-flight: experts

Beijing expresses concern over missing Malaysian flight

Four Russian warships leave Vladivostok for joint exercise with China

English.news.cn   15 April 2012

               

VLADIVOSTOK, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Four warships from Russia's Pacific Fleet, as well as its support vessels, warplanes, helicopters and naval infantry, left Vladivostok Sunday for a joint exercise with Chinese navy.

The Russian warships -- the guided missile cruiser Varyag and three large antisubmarine, Marshal Shaposhnikov, Admiral Panteleyev and Admiral Vinogradov -- are expected to arrive in China next Sunday for the exercise slated for April 22-27 in the Yellow Sea.

More than 20 Russian and Chinese warships and support vessels will be involved in the war game.

Since 2005, China and Russia have conducted several joint military exercises within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Editor: Deng Shasha

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US, Filipino troops start drills near disputed sea

Three Chinese Naval ships making goodwill visit

Antara News, Monday, December 27, 2010

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Three Chinese Navy ships arrived at Indonesia`s Tanjung Priok port on Monday n a goodwill mission during which their crews would execute several programs designed to improve bilateral relations between the two countries.

The flotilla`s commander, Major General Wei Xueyi, said in his remarks on arrival that the visit was intended to enhance relations between the two navies and the two countries in general.

The Chinese ships were welcomed by Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Zhang Qiyue and Brigadier General Arif Suherman, commander of Indonesia`s third navy base (Lantamal III) and members of the Chinese community in Indonesia.

"During our visit, our crews will also take the opportunity to go sightseeing in the Indonesian capital, meet local people, and sample local life. We are very pleased to have this chance of visiting Indonesia," Major General Wei Xueyi said

Chinese Ambassador Zhang Qiyue said the Chinese warships` visit was part of activities to mark 60 years of Indonesia-China diplomatic relations and friendship this year. The visit was also expected to improve the relationship between the navies of the two countries.

During their five-day stay in Indonesia, the Chinese crews are to conduct a series of activities, including visiting Indonesian naval ships , and compete with Indonesian naval personnel in several sports events.

"I hope the visit will improve our communication and understanding with the Indonesian navy as well as the Indonesian people. We also hope the friendship between Indonesia and China will develop further in the future ," he said.

The Chinese flotilla consists of an amphibious landing ship, the Kunlunshan, a destroyer, the Lanzhou, and a supply ship, the Weishanshu and carrying a combined crew of 1,000 men.

It had just completed patrol duties in the Gulf of Aden and in Somali waters to combat sea piracy rampant in those areas.

The flotilla is the sixth China had deployed in the Gulf of Aden and in Somali waters.

The previous five Chinese flotillas in the Gulf of Aden had escorted 2,248 Chinese and foreign ships in 213 batches in this region, which have been plagued by pirate attacks, since December 2008.

The sixth flotilla had escorted 615 ships, including five from Indonesia, during its service period, expelling 190 suspicious boats, saving one ship hijacked by Somali pirates and three others being chased by pirates.

Public given chance to go on board US warships

Antara News, Wednesday, June 2, 2010 00:35 WIB

Surabaya (ANTARA News) - The US Navy is giving Surabaya residents especially students an opportunity to go on board its warships berthing at Jamrud pier, Tanjung Perak, Surabaya, on Tuesday.

The US warships have just completed a joint exercise with Indonesian naval vessels code-named Naval Engagement Activity (NEA) 2010 in various areas in East Java since June 26, 2010.

The event was concluded in a ceremony led by Indonesian Eastern Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Among Margono on USS Tortuga at Jamrud pier on the same day.

The event was also attended by Task Force 73 Commander Real Admiral Nora W. Tyson, the US Consulate General in Surabaya, and high-ranking Indonesian naval officers.

In the joint exercise, the US Navy fielded four warships USNS Salvor, USS Tortuga, USS Vandegrift, and USCG Mellon, taking part in a demonstration in the use of Centrix on board USS Tortuga, a health symposium, air symposium, diving training, symposium on amphibious operational planning, sea security, and training of marines.

The event was also supported by an Indonesian Marine Engineering Company for Engeineering Civic Action Project by renovating an elementary school in Weru, Lamongan regency, followed by social activities of providing free public health treatment, including dental examination, family planning, and mass circumcision, in Weru and Sidokumpul villages, Lamongan regency.

RI warship captures four poaching Filipino boats

Antara News, Saturday, April 24, 2010 13:41 WIB

Surabaya, E Java (ANTARA News) - Indonesian naval patrol boat KRI Kakap-811 caught four Filipino fishing boats poaching in Sulawesi waters this week, a navy officer said.

The fishing boats and their crew had been brought to the Nunukan naval base in East Kalimantan for investigation, the Eastern Fleet`s spokesman, Lt.Col.Toni Saiful said here Friday.

The captured boats were identified as FB-Conie 5, FB-Conie 4 FB-Conie 10, and FB-Philcon 3, he said.

"The boats did not have permits for fishing in the Indonesian economic zone. Their skippers and crew members are all Filipinos," he said.

When questioned, they confessed their offense. They sailed from General Santos in the Philippines for fishing operations in Indonesia, he said. Indonesia is vulnerable to illegal fishing activities of foreign trawlers.

From January to March 2010, for instance, the Tanjungpinang immigration had deported a dozen foreign fishermen from Riau Islands, including 15 Thais, 17 Vietnamese, and two Malaysians, for poaching in the waters of Natuna Islands.

Lots of foreign fishermen on their trawlers have been poaching in Indonesian waters for decades.As a result, Indonesia suffers a loss of at least US$ 2.136 million a year.

RI, US navies to increase cooperation in Asia Pacific

Antara News, Monday, April 12, 2010 20:50 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian and US navies have agreed to increase cooperation in maritime security in Asia Pacific.

It was learned here on Monday following a closed-door meeting between Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Agus Suhartono and the commander of the US 7th Fleet Command, Vice Admiral John M Bird.

"During the meeting, which was meant for a courtesy call, the two also discussed their commitment to increasing maritime cooperation in the region," the Indonesian Navy`s spokesman, Col Herry Setianegara, told ANTARA News.

He said the US Navy`s Seventh Fleet commander`s visit was also meant for deeping the relationship between the two countries` navies that had developed so far.

From its headquarters in Yokosuka, Japan, the US 7th Fleet routinely sailed up to 52 million square miles of a stretch from "International Date Line" to the African Eastern Coast and from the Kuril Islands in the North to Antartics in the South to safeguard US interests.

The commander of the US Fleet holds three main authorities namely being the commander of a joint task force in dealing with natural disasters or military operations, the commander of naval operations in the territory under his jurisdiction which is his daily assignment and a defense commander.

In every meeting with his colleagues in the countries he visited the Fleet commander had always emphasized the importance of cooperation between the US and countries in Asia Pacific including Indonesia.

In connection with it, the US 7th Fleet routinely conducts joint military exercises with a number of Asia Pacific countries such as the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training exercise with Indonesia and the Bilateral Sea Readiness and Training exercise with Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam and Indonesia.

Welcome aboard

The Jakarta Post, Tue, 02/09/2010 5:28 PM, National

Welcome aboard: New Indonesian Navy warship KRI Frans Kaisiepo-368 docks in Biak, Papua. Indonesian Military [TNI] chief Gen. Djoko Santoso officiated at the launch of the new warship, which was made in the Netherlands along with two others, KRI BIRANG-831 and KRI MULGA-832, in Biak on Tuesday. Antara/Col. Suhartono

RI warships to be equipped with Chinese-made missiles

Antara News, Monday, December 21, 2009 18:45 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Navy`s warships will be equipped with missiles made in China, Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Agus Suhartono said here on Monday.

"We will continue to procure C-802 missiles from China after we tested the weapon with good results,` he said adding that the Indonesian Navy was also negotiating with China to obtain C-705 missiles that were more slender in shape.

"Both types of missile will be added to the armament of of the navy`s fast patrol boats and Van Speijk warships," Agus said.

He said the navy would increase the combat capabilities of its Van Speijk and fast patrol boats by integrating their armament systems with weaponry from China.

"We are still unable to make missiles domestically. But fortunately, state shipbuilding firm PT PAL already has the technology to integrate weapon systems imported from abroad with those already in place on our warships," he said.

The navy chief admitted with limited budget for his department, his officials would continue making a priority scale on the procurement of weaponry system.

"Our main priority now is security in sea border areas and the outer islands of Indonesia," he said adding that the navy would also replace some 27 of its warships with newer types and better combat capabilities.

Agus Suhartono had previously said Indonesia`s western waters were prone to various maritime crimes such as smuggling, human trafficking and poaching.

"The sea crimes are not the only problems we have in the western waters. In these areas we also have border problems with India, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia," the navy chief said.

He said that in order to maintain security in the area, the navy conducted routine patrols in the Indonesian western waters. It had maintained a joint patrols with its counterparts from India, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

As a result, the maritime crime rate in the western waters had dropped , particularly in the Malacca Strait.

Indonesian navy gets new KR Banjarmasin warship

Antara News, Saturday, November 28, 2009 18:15 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Navy got new KRI Banjarmasin-592 warship manufactured by PT PAL, on November 28, 2009.

Surabaya-based PT PAL, Indonesia`s shipbuilding and maintenance company, symbolically handed over the news warship of a Landing Platform Dock (LPD) type, to the defense ministry, which later passed it on to the Indonesian Navy, at a military ceremony in Surabaya, on Saturday.

Among those present at the ceremony were Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro, TNI (Indonesian Defense Forces) General Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Didik Heru Purnomo, and Naval Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Agus Suhartono.

The KRI Banjarmasin was one of two 125-meter LPD manufactured by PT PAL.

Commodore Iskandar Sitompul, a spokesman of the Indonesian Navy, said the KRI Banjarmasin was the third LPD joining the Navy. The two other LPDs were built by South Korea`s Daewoo International Corporation and received by the Indonesian Navy last year.

The latest LPD built by PT PAL was better equipped that the previous two others.

The KRI Banjarmasin-592 warship has capacity to carry five helicopters, while the previous LPDs only two helicopters. The speed has also been improved from 15 knot to 15.4 knot. PT PAL has manufactured more than 150 ships of various types since 1980.

Related Article:

PT PAL hands over new warship

RI considering request for extended participation in maritime task force

Antara News, Saturday, November 21, 2009 04:38 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government is considering the UN request for the Indonesian military (TNI)`s extended participation in the Maritime Task Force at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

"It is true that we have received a request from the UN but we are still considering it," TNI Chief of Staff for General Affairs Vice Admiral Didik Heru Purnomo said at a function here on Friday to greet the arrival of Indonesian warship KRI Diponegoro-365 from joining the task force in Lebanon for six months.

He said his side would thoroughly evaluate TNI`s activities in the UN peace mission including in Lebanon. "We will first evaluate the activities as a whole. We will consider everything."

But he added that the TNI would prepare everything if the government decided to continue the TNI`s participation in the task force.

KRI Diponegoro-365 arrived in Indonesia on Thursday after six-month mission in Lebanon. The UN has asked Indonesia to extend the warship`s mission for another six months or replace it with other warship.

During its mission based on UN Resolution No. 1701 KRI Diponegoro-365 carried out two main tasks, including maritime interdiction operations (MIO), namely to help the Lebanese Armed Forces prevent the smuggling of illegal weapons and increase its capacity.

Deputy Naval Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Moeklas Sidiq meanwhile said Indonesian warship KRI Frans Kaisiepo was most likely to replace KRI Diponegoro-365 in the mission.

Both KRI Diponegoro-365 and KRI Frans Kaisiepo are Dutch-made sigma class corvettes.

500 kiloliters of oil pollute Timor Sea everyday, threaten fishermen: Vice Governor

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang | Fri, 10/02/2009 4:14 PM

About 500,000 liters of crude oil pollute Timor Sea in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province, threatening hundreds of fishermen, NTT Vice Governor Esthon Foennay said on Friday.

PTTEP Australasia, a petroleum exploration company that owns an offshore drilling rig off northwestern Australia, has admitted that the rig has been leaking oil and gas into the sea since August 21.

The drilling rig is located about 150 miles (250 kilometers) to the northwest of the Kimberley coast in Western Australia state.

Esthon expressed his deep concern for the pollution.

"Timor Sea has been globally known as a sea with rich natural resources. In addition, hundreds of fishermen are rely on the sea for their livelihood."

"We won't wait any longer. I have reported this issue to the central government so that we can talk to Australia as soon as possible," he said.

The oil spill occurred 50 miles away from the Timor Barat coast and will likely reach the shore in two weeks.

The Indonesian Navy has reportedly sent a warship to patrol around the spill site.