KKP Ship Budget Controversy, Minister of Finance Purbaya: There is No Order to the Shipyard

JAKARTA - Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa spoke up regarding the statement of Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono which was conveyed through social media regarding the controversy over the ship budget.

Purbaya explained that the information he obtained came from the shipyards, who said they had not received orders to build ships from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), although the budget was said to be available.

"Yes, I don't know, he (KKP) likes to promote a lot of ships. I just checked at the shipyard, is there anything ordered? Yes, not yet. That means there is no order there yet. When you want to make it, I don't know," he told the media, Wednesday, February 11.

Previously, according to Trenggono's explanation, the funding for the construction of the ship came from a foreign loan from the British government and asked Purbaya to confirm the information further.

He admitted that there was a possibility of data differences.

However, Purbaya emphasized that if the funds were sourced from foreign loans, the mechanism would still go through the Ministry of Finance as well.

"That's right, Mr. Trenggono, maybe I got the data wrong, because some of it said the money was for loans. But the loans will also pass through us, right, anyway," he said.

Regarding the amount of the ship's budget in the 2026 State Budget, Purbaya said the figure was still changing so that the nominal amount could not be determined and emphasized that the ship development program should be realized immediately.

"I don't know (the ship's budget), the numbers keep changing. The important thing is, when there is a program to build a ship, it is quickly launched," he said.

Previously, Purbaya's statement regarding the lack of orders for the ship was delivered at the Indonesian Shipyard and Shipping Revitalization event held by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) on Tuesday, February 10.

Responding to the circulating news, Trenggono through his personal Instagram account uploaded a screenshot of Purbaya's statement with the headline 'Menkeu Purbaya Semprot KKP: Budget for Ships Has Been Paid, But the Industry Has Not Received Orders'.

He emphasized that the funds for the construction of the ship came from the British government's foreign loans and asked the Minister of Finance to reconfirm the information internally.

"Dear Minister of Finance, so that you understand and are smart, that the funds for the construction of the ship are sourced from foreign loans from the UK government. Try asking your subordinates first, is it true that the ship's money has been disbursed?" said Trenggono.