While investigations are pending and the cause of fire on KRI Klewang remains unclear, news about the Indonesian’s stealth warship caught fire on 28 September has raised questions in the Indonesian press about whether the design of the vessel was flawed.
In reply to these speculations, Swedish PT Lundin Industry Invest and LOMOcean Design, builder and designer of KRI Klewang for Indonesian’s Navy, have made a statement.
According to the statement, the design drawings for KRI Klewang were subject to structural plan approval by Germanischer Lloyd in accordance with the High Speed Craft code, so have been subject to intense third party scrutiny by a respected member of the International Association of Classification Societies. Elements of the ship’s design relating to weaponry have also been designed in accordance with the American Bureau of Shipping High Speed Naval Craft (2007) code.
It also states that number of steps are taken during the design and construction to mitigate fire risks and that high fire risk zones on the vessel are treated with a significant degree of fire insulation, which removes the carbon composite materials from proximity to normally hot componentry – and in the event of an outbreak, fire.
The companies believe that the carbon fibre material itself does not contribute significantly to the fire load and the fire was not caused by a lack of design standards compliance and poor implementation of risk mitigation measures such as fire protection and suppression systems.
In the end of the statement, they reinforce that the KRI Klewang project represents a significant step forward by Indonesia in naval technology which opens the door to a bold, new and innovative future.
