VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Defense Ministry and state-run ship builder PT PAL Indonesia have signed a contract to build two fast missile boats of 60-meter class (KCR-60), to support the country`s weaponry system. The ministry`s secretary general Vice Admiral Agus Setiadji said Surabaya, East Java Province, on Monday that the contract to build the fifth and sixth fast missile vessels would include its weapons, including missiles.

"Previously, PT PAL Indonesia had built KCR in stages. First, it build the vessel and then the weaponry," Setiadji stated.

According to Setiadji, the two missile boats will directly function as warships equipped with sensor, weapon, and command system (Sewaco).

"The contract value for one ship is about Rp1.66 trillion, cheaper than the similar order to Europe and South Korea, but still having good quality," he noted.

The project is targeted to be completed in 24 months, as production of some components, such as the ship`s main engine, would take more than 14 months.

Meanwhile, Director of PT PAL Indonesia Budiman Saleh remarked that the fast missile boats would involve 62 private firms in defense industry and four state-run companies, namely weapon manufacturer PT Pindad, engineering company PT Barata Indonesia, steel producer Krakatau Steel, and electronics company PT LEN Industri.  Saleh revealed that the two missile boats will have 19.56 percent of local content, in accordance with the ministry`s requirement of minimum essential force (MEF) in 2015-2019 budget.

The KCR-60 is a developed design from the previous KCR-57.

The project has also involved three world weapon suppliers, namely Bofors (Swedish), MBDA (France), and Terma (Denmark). (ant)

People expect good air quality to support their daily activities. One of the efforts made by the government to increase the quality of air is by building Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system.

The MRT is expected to reduce congestion in the capital. The decline in congestion would reduce air pollution.

The MRT is also expected to encourage more people to shift from private vehicles to using public transportation services.

Executive director of the Committee for Leaded Gasoline Eradication (KPBB), Ahmad Syafrudin, remarked that the 16-kilometer phase 1 of the MRT, from Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta to the Hotel Indonesia (HI) traffic circle in Central Jakarta, could reduce emissions to 85,680 tons of carbon dioxide per year.

The figure is obtained by taking into account the carbon dioxide emissions from 175 thousand people who cross phase 1 of the MRT.

Some 175 thousand people who cross phase 1 of the MRT contributed 171,360 tons of carbon dioxide per year. Around 64,260 tons of carbon dioxide came from motorbikes and 107,100 tons of carbon dioxide from cars.

Hence, the MRT becomes a new hope for people who want to breathe cleaner air and enjoy the blue sky in Jakarta. (ant) 

 State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura (AP) I has set a target of serving at least 101 million passengers in 13 airports under its management, an increase from 96.5 million passengers in 2018.

"The performance of the company has been growing positively over several years. There is a trend of increases in the number of passengers, income, and profit of the company," President Director of PT Angkasa Pura I Faik Fahmi told the press in Serang, Banten province, Sunday.

In 2017, the 13 airports received 89.7 million passengers, and the number of passengers went up 7.6 percent in 2018, notably 96.5 million.

PT AP I received audited income amounting to Rp8.98 trillion and net profit at Rp2 trillion in 2018, an increase of 41.28 percent compared to that in 2017.

The company has set a target of receiving income amounting to Rp10.2 trillion, and net profit at over Rp2 trillion in 2019.

PT AP I also plays a role as state infrastructure that promotes air connectivity through airport development and expansion, he said.

The company is also an agent of development by helping boost the country`s economic growth, improving the public welfare and developing least developed regions, he added.

For 2019, the company has renewed its vision to be more progressive by adopting "Connecting the World Beyond Airport Operator with Indonesian Experience," as its new vision. (ant)