Manado (Antara Bali) - Indonesia's Maritime Safety Coordination Board (Bakorkmala) aims to build a number of patrol boats to maintain security at sea, an official said.
"We have two patrol boats and will build six others by 2014," Bakorkmala spokesman Vice Admiral Bambang Suwarto stated on Tuesday.
Bambang added that every area in the country will have at least two patrol boats. "We are going to build bigger ones, which will be stationed in every area in the country," he said, adding that a dock of patrol boats was currently being built at Serei in the North Minahasa district of North Sulawesi, and was expected to be completed by 2014.
He pointed out that Bakorkmal had so far operated two patrol boats named KN Bintang Laut-4801 and KN Singa Laut-4802.
Bambang also revealed that Bakorkmala intended to build a radar and ground station education center in Bali and recruit more personnel to ramp up maritime safety and security during the next few years. (*/DWA)
