Jakarta. Indonesia is set to receive the retired Italian aircraft carrier Garibaldi this year, according to a government official, as Jakarta braces for delays as the Strait of Hormuz closure drags on. 

Rome wants to donate a decades-old aircraft carrier to Indonesia to avoid having to spend a hefty sum of money on the dismantling. Defense Ministry spokesperson Rico Ricardo Sirait recently said that “preparations had been underway” for the transfer.

“Hopefully, it [the delivery] should happen within this year,” Rico told the press in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Asked whether the free transfer would take place in December, Rico cited the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, which has remained shut since the US-Iran war erupted in late February.

“It’s not just the Hormuz [closure]. There are conflicts there, so the distribution and the delivery process might have limitations,” Rico said.

“The Navy is in charge of preparing the crews meant to operate the Garibaldi,” Rico said.

News agency Reuters, quoting a parliamentary report, not long ago wrote that the annual price tag for maintenance work to keep the vessel in good condition for transfer hit around 5 million euros ($5.8 million) for 2025. Dismantling, however, can reach up to nearly 19 million euros ($22 million). The vessel itself is worth around 54 million euros or $62.7 million. The free transfer to Jakarta had faced backlash from Italian opposition groups. 

As the vessel is a donation, the Indonesian government is only planning to set aside a budget for the retrofitting. Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin had told the press back in March that Garibaldi -- which would sail under a different name -- should arrive in Indonesia in October. He did not disclose how much Indonesia had allotted for the upgrades to the ageing Garibaldi.