SHAH ALAM: PCU Gagah Samudera, the first of two RMN new training ships, was handed over to the navy on March 1. It is expected the DSME-designed ship will be commission soon.
The commissioning could be done before LIMA 17 so the ship could take part in the show at Langkawi. With MMEA commissioning its first NGPC this month and another new ship – albeit second hand – taking part in LIMA, it is likely that RMN will want a new ship at Langkawi also.
That said it is unlikely that RMN will rush a ship for commissioning just to save face. Gagah Samudera has been on sea trials for more than six months now and it’s likely that the ship is now ready for her commissioning.
Gagah and her sister ship have undergone completion work at the Grade One Marine Shipyard in Lumut, Perak since early 2015. Their lengthy completion works belied the fact that they have been launched in 2012 and 2013, respectively. It is not known when Teguh Samudera will be handed over to the navy.
From Malaysian Defence post on Dec. 1, 2014.
Both training vessels were assembled at the NGV Tech shipyard from modules delivered by DSME of South Korea. Gagah Samudera was launched on Dec 14, 2012 while Teguh Samudera on Feb 27, 2013. Both were supposed to be commissioned within six months.
Both ships remained incomplete and un-commissioned as NGV Tech was foreclosed by Maybank sometime in 2013. NGV Tech signed the RM294 million contract with RMN for the construction of the training vessels at LIMA 2011.
Meanwhile, the MMEA have been posting updates on its first NGPC and latest ship KM Pekan. KM Pekan had passed her technical tests and it is expected to be at LIMA 17. From the pictures, it appears that Pekan is not fitted with any deck mounted guns. Perhaps it will be done here after LIMA.
The first NGPC is now being prepared for her commissioning soon. If you want to see them up close, they will be displayed at Porto Malai, Langkawi, the venue of the maritime section of LIMA 17. Otherwise check out the video of the Pekan in Japan below. And also the NGPC taken around Port Klang.
— Malaysian Defence
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View Comments (9)
about time. when the dsme training ships are comissioned, what would be the fate of the grand old kd hang tuah? would the name be transferred to the new lcs?
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As mentioned previously its likely Tuah be decommissioned. Unlikely the name will be transferred to the LCS
We could have used Gagah samudera design as the template for both the LMS and OPV for MMEA but no...
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It was not the fault of anybody but NGV Tech and DSME
"From the pictures, it appears that Pekan is not fitted with any deck mounted guns. Perhaps it will be done here after LIMA."
Japan does not export lethal equipment. So the guns it used to have were stripped and we will be adding our own.
Wow half of the ship deck is allocated for helipad. And for some reason the NGPC looks really2 cute. Is it me or other people feel the same too?
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Some has commented that the NGPC seemed too tall for its size, which is true if compared to the similar Columbian patrol boat. I believed they add an extra deck to comply with the 30 crew member plus 10 extra personnel requirement. The NGPC has three level main deck compared to two for the Columbian boat.
Can someone please enlighten me........What does a training ship really do...
Does it actually do patrol duty while it also trains the recruits?
Hope you know what I mean. Since it's already out there at sea, there is no point it just sailing around in circles! Nothing beats training in real life.
@ tom tom
Of course, any ships of the navy when at sea is actually patrolling the area it is in, no matter what kind of ship it is. It is not unique to any navy, even big navies such as the Royal Navy is similar.
Tom Tom,
A ''training ship'' means exactly what it's designation implies : a ''training ship'' to provide midshipmen and other ranks the needed basic training and experience at sea before they are posted to their respective ships. At the moment KD Hang Tuah is used for this role. Yes, training ships perform actual patrols.
Thanks guys.
In a way these are like modified LMS (ie 70m class) with extra space for trainees. Perhaps that is why only 4 LMS were ordered from the Chinese!
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It was highly plausible back in 2013 for the navy to buy the slightly bigger, heavier-armed version of the DSME designed ship if NGV Tech did not went bankrupt. But that is water under the bridge now.
Are we talking about the same KD Hang Tuah that is now berth in Lumut as a museum exhibit of some sort!
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The one exhibited is the former KD Rahmat. KD Tuah remained in commission with the RMN.