SHAH ALAM: MMEA is expected to take delivery of its first cutter -gifted by the United States – by the end of the year. The cutter – the former Steadfast – will undergo refitting before it is handed over to the MMEA, says its chief Rear Admiral Rosli Abdullah. The ship was decommissioned from the US Coast Guard on February 1, 2024 after 56 years of service. She is now berthed at the Baltimore port waiting for her delivery to MMEA.
When delivered the cutter will be the newest and oldest ship in service with the MMEA. Rosli visited the ship during his tour of the US recently. According to a release by MMEA, Rosli said that ship’s condition was good and once it enter service it will be operated under the ever-present concept in the Malaysian maritime zone.
He did not say whether the ship will be based in Sabah or Sarawak though.
The release:
Mππ₯ππ§ππ π ππππ¬π¦ππ π£ππ₯ππ¨ππ¨π πππ₯πππ¦ππ π πππ‘πππ‘ π¨π‘ππ§ππ π¦π§ππ§ππ¦ ππ’ππ¦π§ ππ¨ππ₯π ππ πͺππ¦πππ‘ππ§π’π‘ π.π.
.
πͺππ¦πππ‘ππ§π’π‘ π.π , π³ π’πΈππΌπ―π²πΏ β Dalam usaha memperkukuh kerjasama antarabangsa, Ketua Pengarah Maritim Malaysia, Laksamana Muda Maritim Datuk Haji Mohd Rosli bin Abdullah mengadakan kunjungan hormat ke atas Commandant of United States Coast Guard (USCG), Admiral Linda Lee Fagan di Washington D.C. baru-baru ini.
Datuk Haji Mohd Rosli berkata, pertemuan ini diadakan bagi memperkukuhkan jalinan kerjasama sedia ada antara Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia (Maritim Malaysia) dan United States Coast Guard (USCG).
Pada pertemuan empat mata itu, Linda Fagan turut mengucapkan tahniah atas pelantikan Datuk Haji Mohd Rosli selaku Ketua Pengarah Maritim Malaysia ketujuh di samping menunjukkan minat yang tinggi untuk mengetahui visi dan strategi yang dirancangkan beliau dalam memacu Maritim Malaysia ke arah yang lebih cemerlang.
Hasil pertemuan tersebut, USCG telah menyatakan sokongan dan komitmen tinggi terhadap usaha yang dilakukan Maritim Malaysia dalam menjaga keselamatan dan kesejahteraan perairan negara selain menekankan pentingnya kerjasama dalam aspek keselamatan serta Intelligence Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR).
“Saya amat berbesar hati dengan sokongan yang diberikan oleh USCG dan percaya bahawa kerjasama ini akan memperkukuh keselamatan maritim kita serta memberikan manfaat kepada komuniti antarabangsa,” ujar Datuk Haji Mohd Rosli.
Dalam rangka lawatan, delegasi Maritim Malaysia turut mengunjungi USCG Cutter STEADFAST di Baltimore bagi meninjau persiapan membawa pulang kapal tersebut ke Malaysia, yang dijadualkan bermula pada penghujung tahun ini.
Dalam kenyataannya, Datuk Haji Mohd Rosli mengesahkan bahawa USCG Cutter STEADFAST berada dalam keadaan yang baik dan ruang kerja di dalamnya amat selesa bagi menempatkan pegawai dan anggota penguat kuasa Maritim Malaysia.
βProses baik pulih kapal berkenaan akan dilakukan dan keberadaannya di dalam inventori aset Maritim Malaysia tidak lama lagi bakal meningkatkan keupayaan operasi penguatkuasaan dalam mengimplementasi konsep operasi berteraskan ‘ever present’ dan ‘the right asset for the right mission’ di Zon Maritim Malaysia.β
Jelasnya, βantara aspek penting yang dititik beratkan dalam membawa pulang kapal tersebut merangkumi kuasa gerak, penjanaan kuasa, struktur badan dan rangka kapal, komunikasi, pandu arah dan domestik.β
Selain itu, delegasi turut dibawa melawat USCG Surface Acquisitions Logistic Center di Baltimore, di mana perbincangan mengenai penyediaan peralatan sokongan kapal dan kemudahan bagi kru yang akan menjalani fasa suai kenal (familiarization) bersama aset tersebut turut akan diadakan.
Antara peralatan yang telah tersedia untuk diserahkan adalah meliputi peralatan Damage Control and Fire Fighting (DCFF), peralatan domestik seperti kelengkapan galley, dan peralatan serta kelengkapan Onboard Spare List (OSL).
Lawatan bersejarah itu diakhiri dengan pertukaran syiling, simbolik kepada tradisi agensi keselamatan dan jalinan kerjasama yang erat antara kedua-dua organisasi.
— Malaysian Defence
I hope at least our coast guard (MMEA) can get another one this type of ship. More is better.
In the end the services still have to make do with used assets, given our small 1% of gdp budget for both the defence and home ministry.
PUTD is getting used Blackhawks. The airforce is getting used classic hornets. TUDM is already leasing used utility helos.
Meanwhile for new assets we are resorting to use the annual capex to pay leasing charges… spreading the cashflow to 15 or more years.
ATM should have special team of scouts looking for good used assets rather than be ad hoc “nak terberak baru nak cari jamban”
Like I said before we should seriously consider the Aussie Army ASLAVs for the condor replacement program. Parts are still available cheaply. Supplying expensive stanag level 2 MRAPs to KAD is an abomination.
National Security Sector – defence and home – actually gets around 2 per cent of the GDP.
Rock,
Is βmore really betterβ? Have you thought of its the pitfalls associated with getting such aged ships? This is nothing to be proud of or to blow trumpets about. In fact the 1960βs and 1970βs we got aged ships but in 2024? Is that how farweβve progressed as a nation?
@ hasnan
If tentera darat is looking for used, i would prefer
1) used KIFV, in the normal K200A1 0.50cal gun shield version, and the K263A3 SPAAG version with M167 Vulcan 20mm gatling for anti-aircraft and anti-drone missions. Adding more of something we already have will be easier to maintain rather than something totally different. To equip units in east Malaysia to have similar capabilities to those in west Malaysia.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GVpzDsrbgAM_wtX.jpg
2) ex afghan MD530F stuck in USA. Request through US EDA. At least 6 to complement the current 6 MD530G. Convert them to MH-6 configuration – special force transport. So 883 Regt can focus on SF support mission, with MD530F transporting SF operators, and MD530G as the armed overwatch/CAS/attack.
3) HAWK XXI MERAD system. 50km range. Turkiye has 14-16 batteries of this, now being replaced by HISAR-O. HAWK XXI uses the same technology (esp the Fire Distribution Center) from the NASAMS system. Romania bought 8 batteries of HAWK XXI from Netherlands for USD28.4 million in 2005. 8 batteries is adequate to have 2 regiments to cover both east and west Malaysia.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GWCjjorW0AAD-4a.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GWENvLpa4AAM31n.jpg
4) Additional 12x Denel G5 155mm howitzers from Qatar. They have retired theirs replaced by SPHs. Currently we have 28x G5. Adding those ex Qatari G5 will increase our 155mm howitzer quantity to 40. Enough for 2x regiment of 18x guns, one each in east and west malaysia, with 4x more placed in PUSARTI (Pusat Latihan Artileri)
Ah forgot the obvious one!
5) used blackhawks.
Multiple sources. Can be ex us army through US EDA. Can be ex south korean army as offsets for future FA-50 Batch 2 (koreans to retire early their perfectly fine blackhawks to support their local defence manufacturers by buying KAI Surions). Can be upgraded and uparmed to better than new specifications.
If I’m not mistaken, the last gifted vessel from USA was KD Sri Inderapura LST, ex US Navy ship USS Spartanburg County given to TLDM, which had been write-off later after a fire incident back in 2008..
By the way, terima kasih banyak Amerika Syarikat.
On APMM used stuff
IMO we are only getting the WMEC as that is currently the largest ships that USCG can give out. All the Hamilton WHEC are already spoken for. USCG usually use their ships for a very long time, which is fine as patrol cutters don’t have many electronics on board and as long as the hull and machineries are in tip top shape, it can go out to sea for patrols.
As for available used coast guard ships, unfortunately there are not a lot of options out there. the one i can think of
– ex south korean Ulsan frigate and Pohang corvettes (most of early 90s vintage) converted to patrol ships
– Ex Japan Coast Guard PLH-21 Fuso (just retired a few months ago)
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GLo54nRaAAAWrIe.jpg
– Ex japan coast guard Ojika class (KM Pekan sisterships). 2-3 are to be retired in near future replaced by newbuild Kunigami class OPVs
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Japan_Coast_Guard_PL04.JPG
If wanna buy new
Our neighbour Indonesia are building 80m OPVs for their Coast Guard at a price that nobody in the world can match. Each of BAKAMLA 80m OPV build in Batam costs only USD13 million each.
https://t.co/JRbMIC6WfS
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F__m1fdacAAUa1C.jpg
For the price of 4 Chinese made LMS, we could have gotten 16-17 units of 80m OPV from Indonesia for the same price.
… – ”If tentera darat is looking for used”
It is but only if it fits its requirements and doesn’t cost a bomb to sustain. There is also the pertinent fact that the government has to agree.
The army has no interest in anymore Little Birds; not that it ever did. Neither does it intend on getting G-5s [you’ve brought it up before]. It’s priority now are SPHs [for reasons done to death with] and getting G-5s would complicate things. From an operational perspective the army is not keen on towed guns for obvious reasons; large; cumbersome and heavy. The G-5 was also made for South African requirements in terrain encountered in Angola and Namibia. Unless it’s forced to; the army has zero intention of getting anymore G-5s or any towed 105mm gun for that matter. We also have to look at the ratio of destroyed towed guns compared to SPHs in Ukraine.
… – ”IMO we are only getting the WMEC as that is currently the largest ships that USCG can give out.”
And we are only getting it due to the lack of any other short term alternative.
… – ”For the price of 4 Chinese made LMS, we could have gotten 16-17 units of 80m OPV from Indonesia for the same price.”
Unfortunately we didn’t did we now … But then since when was long term cost effectiveness a priority for the decision makers? The Chinese LMSs were politically expedient during that period.
Checked Steadfast’s propulsion, its a diesel engine originally designed for locomotive, and new engines of the same model is still being produced in the States.
@Hulubalang
OPV made for the navy and the coast guard are different tbh.even damen OPV are cheaper than the Chinese LMS. But Not that the Chinese is screwing us but rather probably we shouldn’t had bought an OPV for the navy in the first place.
Zaft,
No. Not necessarily. There can be the odd exception; the Kedah class. Designated a OPV for political reasons but fitted with a 3D radar, obstacle avoidance sonar; helo handling system and other things in line with its role as a secondary combatant. Same with the Marikhs; how many OPVs had a 100mm gun and ESM.
If really intended to be used as a OPV then there is very little difference between a naval and a non naval OPV.
I also agree with Rock we should try get at least 1 more Reliance class ship, for the reason that spending money to service 2 same class of ship makes more sense than a singular unit which shares nothing in common with other MMEA vessels.
Zek
Inderapura was a hot transfer; an outright purchase. It was not βgiftedβ.
Azlan
Noted with thanks.
I just don’t understand. We are having problems 24/7 with them in our SCS EEZ and yet are welcoming them like heroes, some more 1000 of them on a type 071 landing ship!
why would we give our sweet money to indonesian shipyards when we are perfectly capable of building the size of usgs steadfast and even bigger?
the crux of the issue is mismanagement in the top by crook not the technical capacity or capability
@ dundun
USCGC Steadfast is a ship of around the same size of TLDM LMS 68 Keris-class
That Indonesian 80m OPV is comparable in size to the APMM DAMEN 1800 OPV (83m in length)
APMM paid nearly USD60 million for each of the DAMEN 1800 OPV. Only one, KM Tun Fatimah is completed, and still we need to add more money into the project with still 2 more ships not completed according to contract.
BAKAMLA paid only USD13 million for each of that 80m OPVs, KN Pulau Nipah (321) KN Pulau Marore (322) KN Pulau Dana (323) are completed on time and at the same time by the shipyard.
We cannot build such a huge ship for just USD13 million. At best we can only get something like the NGPC for that price.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F__m1fdacAAUa1C.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GZcQVoMaUAA4Rpx.jpg
dundun – ”the crux of the issue is mismanagement in the top by crook not the technical capacity or capability”
As well as trying to do too many things with too few resources and a lack of a holistic apolitical assessment of what we want to achieve and what we realistically can achieve.
zainal – ”We are having problems 24/7 with them in our SCS EEZ and yet are welcoming them like heroes, some more 1000 of them on a type 071 landing ship!”
Well then stop buying anything and everything made in China. We have issues with Indonesia in Ambalat and the Melaka Straits; unlike with China we had guns pointed at us, ramming and other things. You suggesting we freeze relations with Indonesia? Reality: we are at peace; not war; if you understand how diplomacy works and the strategic factors at play you’ll understand that we have to ensure that issues with China don’t reach a point where they affect economic and political relations.