SHAH ALAM: LCS team meets OPV. RMN’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) project team visited the THHE yard at Pulau Indah, Port Klang to see the progress of the construction of Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) project.
The visit according to a MMEA Facebook post on January 30 was led by RMN’s LCS project team director First Admiral Saiful Bahari Baharuddin. The post stated the visit was meant to share experiences, challenges and current development of both ships, being built locally.
The LCS, as you are aware are being built by Boustead Naval Shipyard in Lumut, with the first ship, Maharaja Lela expected to be in service in 2023. For more on the LCS and its delays go here.
Kota Bharu, MMEA first of class OPV at the THHE yard at Pulau Indah. APMM picture.
The MMEA post also stated that the agency’s new vessels being built at the THHE yard involved three OPVs equipped with various facilities and new technologies worth RM733 million and the first one is expected be completed this year.
OPV 1 at the slipway for the joining work. Based on the pictures, the ship is build on three large modules. via source.
The visit came shortly after a report in a Malaysian business newspaper, Focus Malaysia, that the OPV project will be delayed “due to financing issues”. Responding to the claims, Destini Bhd, which is the JV partner for THHE for the OPV stated that “THHE Destini Sdn Bhd is working closely with the government to deliver the OPVs as required by the contract. ”
OPV1 on the slipway ready for joining. Via source
Actually the first ship is already delayed as when the ship was launched the-then MMEA DG stated that the first OPV would be in service by this month. This has not happened of course.
Forward and aft CGI of the MMEA OPV
I was told recently that the first ship is only expected to be launched either this April or May. The delay was due to extra time needed to preparec the slipway to launch the first of class OPV, Kota Bharu. The ship is only expected to be commissioned into the MMEA by late this year or early next year.
A side view of the latest CGI of the MMEA OPV
The ship is expected to be fully painted in MMEA colours later this month. The delays into the project was reported previously here.
The project teams from MMEA and LCS posed for a picture with the first OPV in the background. APMM
Despite the setback, it appears that OPV project will be concluded by 2021, barring further hitches, as work on OPV 2 and 3 are continuing. I was told that the engines on the OPV 2 had been installed recently and the ship is expected to be joint together later this year.
LCS PCU. Maharaja Lela. Her name could be seen on the stern. Picture taken on Aug. 25. 2017.
As for the LCS, I have not much further to report apart that BNS is still waiting the word from the government on the extra allocation needed to complete the project. I was told that the government in principle had approved the extra RM1.4 billion allocation for the project but it had not been disbursed yet.
When is the billion ringgit question.
–Malaysian Defence
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View Comments (35)
IMO a little bit of delay is still not a big issue.
All 3 MMEA OPV should be operational way before even the 1st LCS Gowind will be.
Anyway all 6 NGPC has also been delivered to MMEA. Will there be a 2nd batch of the NGPC?
I am also hoping that there will be a 2nd batch of Damen OPV 1800 in RMK12 2021-2025. Another batch of 6 NGPC plus 3 OPV would cost a total of around RM1.12 billion. That is like getting 9 ships for the price of 1 TLDM kedah class OPV. Can MMEA afford it? Yes even if the annual development expenditure (DE) is maintained at around RM410-460 million per year throughout the RMK12. For 2019 the MMEA DE was RM469 milion, while for 2020 the DE is RM414 million.
Dengan delay nya LCS Maharaja Lela, semoga lebih bnyk LMS Keris diorder secepat mungkin utk mengatasi kekurangan kapal TLDM dalam operasi meronda.
Ada sesiapa tahu bila LMS batch seterusnya akan diorder? Adakah tahun ini?
Reply
If its approved, likely 2021....
Ah sh*t here we go again..Nothing right is happening in Malaysia..Nothing..To put it into perspective 2023 originally slated by rmn to comission at least the fourth lcs but bns cant even finish the first one yet..let alone sea trial and acceptance trial, firing trial
All defence contracts seem to suffer cost blow outs and delays. Dunno why, but even in Aus. Recent reports indicate there are significant challenges and delays with the 12 subs. The 3 Hobart AWDS where delayed 3 years I think and so is the F35 Australian program. It seems a common trait.
If they do go on with LMS model, I'd rather if they do open tender and see if local company could design and build the ship. The current LMS is very underwhelming and the fact that it's an all chinese system not only complicates rmn as a whole (and thus defeating the concept of 15 to 5) but also increased the risks of sigint and elint to the Chinese
Tom Tom,
The Aussies also faced major delays, overruns and other issues with the Collins, SeaSprite, Newport conversions and the Tiger.
Elsewhere; there were major delays and cost overruns [some things just got cancelled] with the F-111 [The Aussies ordered when it was still on the drawing board], F-14 [Congress stopped funding at one point and the Shah of Iran put in funds to save the programme], F-16, B-1, M-1 [Germany, Britain and France were originally intended to be joint partners for a common NATO MBT], Trafalgar, Type 26s, A400M [formerly the 'FLA'] Eurofighter, Commanche, Paladin, Copperhead, etc, etc.
The thing is these were major highly ambitious and very technical programmes. Over here relatively simple things can go wrong; with both the government and industry being at fault. I have no idea what the issue with the LCS is and I won't speculate but I know that various programmes [including upgrades] have faced issues due to late funding [not saying this is the case with the LCS].
Dundun - ''but also increased the risks of sigint and elint to the Chinese''
No ..............
Whether the systems are from China, France, Jamaica or Pluto; the fact is that everything non passive can be detected. Just because its from China and Chinese ESMs may be listening in doesn't necessarily mean they are compromised or easier to listen in to. With regards to radar; there are different frequencies used [training, peacetime and wartime - same goes with all types of radar] and for certain stuff; the codes are specified and loaded by the customer. If the Chinese or anyone else for that matter; wanted to 'snoop' they can and they will; irrespective of where the equipment is sourced from.
@Firdaus
"let alone sea trial and acceptance trial, firing trial"
It is okay to delay right now as the VL MICA haven't even been approved for buy yet, so I prefer if we defer the firing trials until we get the missiles. You can't do a firing test without actually firing a missile right?
Reply
Even if the MICA missiles have been bought and delivered to Lumut they cannot install them on the ship at the moment as with the 57mm gun
Just use the DAMEN OPV design as the next LMS. At the price paid for the Chinese LMS, I believe a 12.7mm RWS, 2D surveillance radar and simple CMS for control of the 30mm RWS and 12.7mm RWS can be installed. If the RMN can live with 20 knots, no platform changes necessary.
Better for RMN to buy the MMEA ships but change the engines to more powerful ones for better speed . Specify a good weapons fit.