The Italian parliament voted on Tuesday to support a government proposal to donate an old?aircraft-carrier to Indonesia. This would strengthen relations with an ally and avoid the cost of dismantling an outdated asset.

Garibaldi, a 54 million euro (63 million dollar) vessel, entered service in 1985 and took part in missions throughout the Mediterranean and off Africa including Lebanon, Libya, and Somalia. It was then placed in reserve in 2024.

According to a document from the government, "structural wear and obsolescence" of onboard systems mean that it "no long meets current capabilities and operational requirements."

According to a report by the Italian parliament, transferring the carrier from Italy to Indonesia will save Italy maintenance costs of around 5 million euro for the last year and the 19 million euros needed for dismantling.

According to Indonesian media, defence officials in Jakarta said accepting the donation was more cost-effective and time-efficient than purchasing a new vessel, as well as being useful for disaster relief.

Rome hopes to complete the donation before December.

This is part of an overall strategy to expand the business with Indonesia. The document stated that the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Mello is seeking to complete Italian submarine and aircraft exports to Indonesia, worth approximately?1.5 billion euro.

"It's a reasonable operation." Alessandro Marrone is a defence specialist at Rome's Istituto?Affari Internazionali. He said that military and industrial collaboration pays off, both on the political and economic fronts.

Fincantieri, a shipbuilder in Italy, delivered two combat vessels to the Indonesian Navy last year under a deal valued at 1.2 billion dollars.

The plan has been criticized by opposition groups.

The members of the lower-house defence committee of the Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement voted against the bill, citing lack of information.

Last month, the regional Council?in southern Puglia - where the Garibaldi?is currently berthed- urged the government to not approve the donation. Instead, it suggested that the Garibaldi be turned into a museum in the port of Taranto.

(source: Reuters)