Surabaya, E Java, Aug. 7 -- State-owned shipbuilder PT PAL Indonesia has begun constructing a Scorpene-class submarine for the Indonesian Navy, with the project scheduled for completion within eight years.

"Thank God everything went smoothly. The construction of this submarine is expected to take 96 months, or about eight years," Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Muhammad Ali said during the first steel-cutting ceremony in Surabaya, East Java on Friday.

He noted that the overall progress of the Scorpene submarine project has reached approximately 20.5 percent.

"We hope this submarine can be completed on schedule so that the delivery will be right as planned," he said.

Ali highlighted that the construction of this latest-generation Scorpene-...