[THE INVESTOR] Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering launched a 1,400-ton diesel submarine on Oct. 24 for the Indonesian Navy, a company official said.

The submarine is the second of the three submarines being built under a 2011 deal worth US$1.1 billion. In March, the shipbuilder had a launching ceremony for the first submarine, said Yoon Yo-han, a spokesman for DSME.

The South Korean major ship builder held a ceremony for the second submarine at its shipyard in Geoje Island, close to the country’s southeastern port city of Busan, he said.

About 60 people participated in the ceremony, including company and Indonesian officials.

The shipbuilder is set to deliver the first and second submarines to Indonesia in March and October next year, respectively. The third submarine is scheduled to be delivered to the Southeast Asian country in 2018, Yoon said.

The submarines, a modified version of the Chang Bogo class currently in service in the South Korean Navy, can travel 18,520 kilometers without a port call, twice the distance from Busan to Los Angeles.

(theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)