Indonesian Navy’s (TNI AL) second Multipurpose Combat Ship / Pattugliatore Polivalente d’Altura (PPA), KRI Prabu Siliwangi (321), has arrived in the country on March 22 after a lengthy transit from Italy.
KRI Prabu Siliwangi departed La Spezia Naval Base on 11 February 2026. Unlike its sister ship and the first PPA delivered to Indonesia, KRI Brawijaya (320), which transited the Suez Canal, KRI Prabu Siliwangi took a different route, circumnavigating Africa via the Cape of Good Hope. During this journey, the vessel made port calls in Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, and Mauritius.
There has been no official public explanation for the route selection. However, geopolitical as well as security concerns in the Middle East may have influenced the decision to avoid transit through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
After entering Indonesian waters, KRI Prabu Siliwangi was welcomed in the Sunda Strait by KRI Bung Karno (369), a domestically built corvette launched in April 2023. KRI Prabu Siliwangi later berthed at Lampung Naval Base at the southern tip of Sumatra Island.
Just like KRI Brawijaya, KRI Prabu Siliwangi is named after a prominent king in Indonesia’s history. The ship is currently commanded by Colonel Kurniawan Koes Atmadja, an experienced officer who previously led the SIGMA 9113 corvette KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda (365) and the Bung Tomo-class corvette KRI John Lie (358).
