KD Keris to arrive in Malaysia Jan 17
Also attending the event was Meradong and Julau District Council deputy chairman Danny Banjang, who was representing Meradong assemblyman Datuk Ding Kuong Hing.
During the event, SUPP Dudong branch provided medical services and eye check for the residents of Rumah Sumbang.
KUALA LUMPUR: The first Littoral Mission Ship (LMS) belonging to the Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM), namely, KD Keris, is expected to arrive at the TLDM Base in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah from China on Jan 17.
TLDM announced, through a statement yesterday, that the ship was scheduled to journey to Malaysia this Wednesday (Jan 8).
“The ceremony to hand over KD Keris to the Malaysian government had been carried out by a committee headed by Ministry of Defence secretary (acquisition division) Datuk Ahmad Husaini Abdul Rahman on Dec 31, 2019,” said the statement.
According to the statement, KD Keris was commissioned in a ceremony full of pomp and tradition by TLDM chief Admiral Tan Sri Mohd Reza Mohd Sany in Shanghai, China yesterday.
“Mohd Reza read the commissioning order to symbolise the commissioning of KD Keris and pinned on the Command At Sea insignia on its First Commanding Officer, Commander Mohd Zulkarnain Mohd Rawi,” thus said the statement.
The construction of KD Keris started on July 31, 2018 in Wuhan, China and was launched by Normah Alwi, wife of the Minister of Defence Mohamad Sabu on April 15, 2019.
According to the statement, LMS was one of the five classes of ships in TUDM’s ‘15 to 5’ fleet transformation programme.
The acquisition contract for four LMS was signed between the Ministry of Defence with Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd ( BNSSB) on March 23, 2017 with the co-operation of China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Co Ltd (CSOC).
This acquisition project was the first major defence acquisition project from China, with the second ship, namely, Sundang, which is scheduled to be handed over in April 2020 while the third and fourth ships were expected to be handed over in the middle of 2021. — Bernama