PETALING JAYA: A week before 2011 raya I got the chance to board and check out KM Kukup, a former Kedah class patrol vessel, now in service with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA). Kukup is based in Port Klang, MMEA district region 4. Kukup and her sister ships, 14 of them I believe, are now called the Sipadan class after small islets across the country.
Kukup, like other ships of the class, is almost as old as the country itself. Her crew are much younger than the ship which could barely muster 10 knots now-days, which is not good if they happen to encounter those 4 engine speed boats used to smuggle cigarettes and other stuff. For those fleeting encounters, Kukup and its sister ships have to rely on other MMEA assets to give chase as those speed fiends will run circles around them.
From August 1, MMEA is the sole maritime enforcement agency in the country taking over from host of bodies from marine police to customs. A huge undertaking for an agency sorely needing a boost especially in terms of funding. So for now the agency has to rely on assortment of old vessels like Kukup to do the dirty job as they wait for new vessels to be ordered.
The bridge of Kukup was off limit to nosy reporters but one can see from the forecastle that it is now equipped with a flat screen monitor. Apart from the sole 40mm Bofors gun, there was no other gun or mounts seen deck. Although I had my doubts, the captain insisted that the Bofors was still workable so I guess we have to trust him on that.
With no huge capital outlay available for MMEA in the near future, I am guessing that Kukup and her sister ships will still be around when we celebrate the 70th Merdeka celebrations. A horrible thought indeed.
–Malaysian Defence
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View Comments (66)
Like I said in a earlier post, the MMEA has new aircraft, new electro optical sights and new remote controlled turrets - all it needs are new ships...
Now that the MMEA is finally the sole agency responsible for maritime security, what has happened to the Marine Police unit and the PDRM special operations unit?
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Marine police are now responsible for inland waters - lakes, rivers and dams. Their job starts from the water edge to 1.6km inland. Ungerin remained with Marine police. The platoon size unit is tasked for responses to district police in case of emergencies on waters including seas.
These ships should be in museums by now...
They can buy big ticket items like the CL-415, but no money for recapitalisation of 15 old boats? What, malaysia don't have any shipyards that could build a proper patrol craft? Nigeria has bought 2 of this beautiful 38m patrol craft from a shipyard in penang (or more precisely, from a middlemen in singapore who then contracts the penang shipyard to build them)
http://www.aerialmarine.com/assets/Uploads/AttachedFiles/images/Suncraft6.jpg
http://www.aerialmarine.com/assets/Uploads/AttachedFiles/images/Suncraft2.jpg
http://www.aerialmarine.com/assets/Uploads/AttachedFiles/images/Suncraft4.jpg
http://www.aerialmarine.com/assets/Uploads/AttachedFiles/images/Suncraft3.jpg
http://www.aerialmarine.com/assets/Uploads/AttachedFiles/images/Suncraft5.jpg
Or still have really no money to buy ships? Go to south korea and ask them nicely to donate their nice 37m PKM boats to us (they still have more than 70 of them)
http://nimg.sulekha.com/others/original700/2008-10-7-8-3-30-3663abec00744df596fe17f7c52f6b13-3663abec00744df596fe17f7c52f6b13-1.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_f_TiAqdkqU4/S2njGwuOkgI/AAAAAAAAAt0/PIcoytE6WRk/s1600-h/Chamsuri+class.jpg
http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/2621/chamsuri.jpg
http://www.naval.com.br/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/pkm.jpg
http://www.naval.com.br/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/pkm-326.jpg
Front guns are bofors 40mm with cabin for all weather, rears are 2x 20mm vulcans gatling (can be removed for APMM as it is way too much overkill).
Ermmm... If i am the home security minister...
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MMEA is under Muhya....
Granted, they are old boats. But the navy did operate just as old a assets not too long ago. If you noticed the kind of rust, poor state of maintenance/appearances and defects that they currently in, it would have been unacceptable in the navy. Ask Dato Amdan whether he ever had RAJA JAROM, an old US LST in such poor state while he was in command. Mind you back then the LST is even older than these PCs today.
There is a cultural issues here. In the navy, ship's crew are responsible and tend to keep their ship 'shipshape' and 'tip top' because their lives (or at least their CO, XO and Buffer's career) depends on it, this is not the case with MMEA. Naval rank and file were brought up to take pride with a clean and efficient men o'war. They generally maintained it themselves, at least a level 1 and often level 2 maintenance. They were also regularly inspected. There is Officers of the Day rounds daily, Duty officers Fleet Ops rounds on public holidays, Duty CO rounds on weekend, work-up, Operational Readiness Evaluation from time to time, Audit, Inspection, Spot checks and the list goes on.....
If a RMN ship appearances is half as bad as those pictured, the CO would have been removed from command - that much you can be sure of.
In the Custom, Marine Department, Fisheries, Marine police etc it is a different ball game. The task of maintaining their boat lies with maintenance department who just subcontracted it out. I was even told that the maintenance dept. responsibility is to overseer the work of the contractor. Thus the crew are simply not used to and have very little or no knowledge about maintaining a seagoing vessels. Try and ask the CO if he knew the differences between a primer, undercoat, overcoat, anti fouling and non skid paint and where, when and how to apply them.
I used to command a squadron of this type of boats and it broke my heart to see the state that they are in today.
Sad but cant always blame it on the moneyman.
"Yet the govt has the bucks to spend billions to buy a small number of stealth warships."
The irony is that the NGPV project was supposed to replace patrol vessels like this.
For close inshore work in the Straits of Melaka, a larger version of the Jerong class built by Hong Leong Lurssen would be ideal and relatively inexpensive.
Jentayu,
Excellent post! Thanks for the insight on how the RMN tends to its vessels. Question for you - has the RMN's syllabus/procedures with regards to the upkeep of vessels been adopted by the MMEA? Aren't most ship Captains in the MMEA either former RMN or have been trained by the RMN?
Ree, The NGOPVs were intended to replace the Sabah and Kris class operaated by the RMN and they did indeed! problem was the government did not have sufficient funds to allocate when the MMEA was formed.
@Azlan
The boat that i suggested above is basically a jerong class hull with a modern superstructure. Its a bit shorter at 38m compared to 44m for jerong and it is build in the same yard, although it is no longer called the HL Lurssen...
What we need is a standard, home-grown patrol craft to gradually replace the assortment of old ex-marine police, marine/fisheries, customs, etc craft. I am certain such a PC is well within the design and construction capabilities of local boat and shipyards. Take inspiration from the USN's pre-WWII "Plywood Derby" competition for motor torpedo boats and have our own run-off. As for design various Scandinavian (eg CB-90), Israeli (so what!) and Korean (the PKMs are nice, "...") can be looked at for ideas. Many weapon and navigational systems for small craft are available for guick adaptation/adoption. The standard design can then be built by two or three yards over a number of years as the old boats become too much of an effort to operate safely and effectively (as they seem to be even as we discuss).
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The problem has always been that we are fixated by the yards it-selves rather than the products...
In one of my quiet moments, as a mental exercise, I started to write down a design statement for what I called an MSSC. This was way before I joined this discussion board:
"The Multirole Small Surface Combatant (MSSC) is conceived out of a requirement for a relatively simple, cost-effective yet swift and adequately armed and functionally equipped craft that could be used by naval forces in the patrol and strike roles and by civil maritime agencies for surveillance and enforcement duties."
In common with my *physical exercises*, that was how far I got!
@Azlan, Thanks for the interest. You're right in the beginning MMEA CO's and top leadership was mostly from the navy. PM rationale was that only the navy have the right seagoing culture and experiences to set MMEA on a right footing.
At that time MMEA were literally set up and driven by the navy. The navy even released their experienced, trained and those who volunteered to join the MMEA causing a temporary shortfall in manpower. I was told by the firSt 'DG' (a civilian guy before MMEA was officially set-up) that the navy was the only agency that really supported the establishment of MMEA. There was very strong resistance from other agency in particular from ones in blue uniform due to 'turf war' and wanting to keep the 'perjawatan' (meaning some guy wanted to keep his star).
But overtime, things have changed. I was told the resistance became too strong. Other MMEA guy was telling the ex-navy guy this is not a navy. They are no longer the majority in there and it is after all under the PM department, not KEMENTAH so they do things differently. They don't even want to be trained by the navy anymore (they have their own training establishment now). I guess the ex navy guy finally yield.
As far as handing over concern, it was complete - lock, stock and barrel. All spares, drawings, training etc was provided.
By the way, to put things into perspective. there is still 2 PC left in RMN. They still work and being task for all kind of Ops including OP PASIR. Both 40mm gun still fires and they can do a lot more than 10 knots with a lot less rust.
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The guys in blue resisted mostly due to the fact that they took almost 30 years to get their assets, boats and bases included, only to see them handed over to the newbies...
The current Perajurit issue has details of a planned JDAM and Sidewinder X buy for the Hornets. Negotiations it seems are ongoing.
The beauty is that these can also be used by the Super Hornets - maybe someone should point this out to the Defence Minister - the whole concept of commonaliity and reducing one's logistics footprint. It would be nice if a journalist or one of our tame mainstream defence mags - ADJ, Tempur and Perajurit - would ask our Defence Minister the million ringgit question - just what exactly can the Typhoon do that the cheaper Super Hornet can't????
......,
Thanks for the info. What is Hong Leong Lurssen called now? The design you mentioned, should more than suit the MMEA's needs and also the RMN, for close inshore work in Sabahan waters. Rather than a Vulcan, an OWS with a 12.7mm and a 40mm AGL would be more useful. I'm not sure however if FACs or similiar sized ships still have a place in the RMN's doctrine and whether the entry into service of the LCS will lead to the retirement of the Handalan, Perdana and Jerong class.
It's a bit of an overkill and expensive using a Kedah or LCS for routine patrols around the Sabah islands.
GhostriderWan,
Excellent description! Logic would dictate the MMEA and RMN share a common design but logic and common sense does not always figure in the scheme of things, as far as our politican are concerned, unfortunatly. Our joke of a Defence Minister is so mesmorised with the Typhoon that he publicly said that other ongoing requirements may be delayed, AGAIN, to fund the Typhoon! Someone must have whispred in his ear that the Typhoon is ''stealthy''..