Recently, the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) signed a contract with the French shipbuilding group Piriou for the design and construction of two new research vessels.
This order includes a multi-purpose ocean research vessel (ORV) and a coastal research vessel (CRV), both of which will be built at Piriou’s shipyard in Vietnam.
The ocean research vessel has a total length of 75 meters, a gross tonnage of approximately 3,700 tons, and can accommodate 46 people. It will be used to support Indonesia’s deep-sea marine scientific research, including tasks such as sediment analysis, marine geological surveys, and ocean and climate observations. The coastal research vessel has a total length of 30 meters, a gross tonnage of approximately 290 tons, and can carry 12 people, primarily conducting regional scientific research tasks in estuaries, bays, and continental shelf waters.
To meet the needs of advanced marine research, both new vessels will be equipped with modern scientific survey systems, including multi-beam echo sounders. Additionally, the ships will be fitted with the latest acoustic positioning systems to support the deployment and precise positioning operations of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).
This project is led and implemented by the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency, aiming to support Indonesia’s deep-sea scientific research development strategy. As the world’s largest archipelagic country, approximately three-quarters of Indonesia’s territory consists of oceans and seas, making marine scientific research a key pillar of national development. However, Indonesia’s vast “blue economy” is increasingly threatened by human activities and climate change. At the same time, Indonesia’s marine natural resources generally lack systematic documentation and in-depth research, and its marine scientific research capabilities are relatively limited. Against this backdrop, BRIN decided to place the order for these two modern research vessels.
Arif Satria, head of the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency, stated: “These two ships will make significant contributions to the country’s key development areas by providing critical data and information.”
This procurement is implemented through the KrisNA project, with financing support from the French Development Agency (AFD), totaling 102 million US dollars (approximately 689 million RMB). In addition to the research vessel project, AFD is also supporting the modernization and upgrade of four fishing ports in Indonesia through a loan of 114 million US dollars (approximately 770 million RMB).
