RMN’s first littoral combat ship to be ready next year

LUMUT: KD Maharaja Lela, the country’s first littoral combat ship ( LCS), is expected to be ready for sailing trial next year before handed over to the Royal Malaysian Navy ( RMN) in 2019.

Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd ( BNS) managing director Tan Sri Ahmad Ramli Mohd Nor said this was to ensure the vessel was in the best condition.

“The vessel is 75 percent completed. We are installing the combat system, which is quite difficult to do, in Cyberjaya, Selangor as well as in-house installation work.

“We want the vessel to be used at Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) 2019,” he told a press conference after the foundation laying ceremony for the third LCS at Boustead Naval Shipyard by Ministry of Defence secretarygeneral Datuk Seri Abdul Rahim Mohamad Radzi.

On Aug 24, a ceremony was held for the naming of KD Maharaja Lela by the Raja Permaisuri of Perak, Tuanku Zara Salim, and was witnessed by the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah at the RMN Base, here.

Ahmad Ramli said the second LCS was expected to be ready for sailing trial in August while the third LCS would be ready in June 2019.

The RMN had ordered six LCS costing RM9 billion from BNS, a subsidiary of Boustead Holdings Berhad and its associate, Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation Bhd (BHIC). — Bernama