Former Italian Carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi Enters Indonesian Waters Ahead of Handover to Jakarta

The Indonesian Navy announced on 17 September 2026 that the former Italian Navy aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi (C551) had entered Indonesian waters. The ship was due to arrive at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta on the morning of 18 September 2026, at the end of a delivery voyage that began in Italy in late August. It had not been formally transferred or commissioned at the time of writing.

The carrier departed Taranto on 24 August 2026 after the flag of the Italian Navy was lowered aboard for the last time. It sailed with a mixed Italian and Indonesian complement under an Italian commanding officer. Its route took it through the Suez Canal, with port calls at Safaga in Egypt and Colombo in Sri Lanka, before it entered Indonesian waters via the Malacca Strait. Army Recognition reported that the ship sailed under the Italian flag and retained its Italian identity throughout the delivery voyage, pending the formal transfer.

Indonesia will rename the ship KRI Sriwijaya, after the Sumatra-based Srivijaya empire. Earlier reporting had given the name as KRI Gadjah Mada; the navy later changed it. Naval News reported that the Indonesian Navy said the ship will primarily support military operations other than war, particularly humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, following the direction of President Prabowo Subianto. ANTARA reported that the navy had prepared 310 personnel for the ship, and that the defense minister was to receive it at Tanjung Priok alongside the commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces and the chiefs of the army, navy and air force.

Italy transferred the ship free of charge rather than selling it. Army Recognition reported that Italy cited an annual inactive-maintenance cost of 5 million euros and an estimated dismantlement bill of 18.7 million euros. According to the same outlet, the authorization ran through a ministerial decree on 19 February 2026, Senate approval on 24 March 2026, Budget Committee approval on 14 April 2026 and final parliamentary authorization on 28 April 2026. Italy retains the carrier Cavour.

GlobalMilitary.net's ship record for the Giuseppe Garibaldi lists a displacement of 14,150 tons, a length of 180.2 m, a beam of 33.4 m, a crew of 830, a top speed of 30 knots and four gas turbines. The air park recorded for her Italian service was up to 18 AV-8B Harrier II fighter-bombers plus SH-3D or AW101 helicopters. That configuration reflects the ship's Italian career: Indonesia has not announced a fixed-wing air wing, and the role the navy has stated for the ship is disaster relief.

In GlobalMilitary.net's current inventory, the Indonesian Navy has no carrier of any kind. Its ranked strength stands at 13 frigates, 26 corvettes, 6 submarines, 31 amphibious ships and 203 patrol craft, and it already operates Italian-built Thaon di Revel-class frigates. The site's ship inventory records carriers of all types, a category that mixes fleet carriers with light and helicopter carriers, in 11 navies: China (3), Spain, France, the United Kingdom, India (2), Iran, Italy, Japan, Russia, Thailand and the United States (2). Indonesia would be the twelfth. In the SEAS index, GlobalMilitary.net's ranking of the world's navies by fleet strength on a 0-100 scale across 80 navies, Indonesia ranks 15th with 22.81 points and Italy 9th with 27.39 points.

The timing of the formal handover and commissioning is reported differently. Naval News reported that a formal inauguration at a naval parade in Jakarta Bay was targeted for 4 October 2026, the 81st anniversary of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, while Army Recognition reported a commissioning date of 25 September 2026. Until that transfer takes place, the ship remains a former Italian carrier arriving in Indonesia rather than a commissioned unit of its new navy.