SHAH ALAM: Sandakan-based 13 PC Skuadron is expected to receive two new vessels soon, KD Sri Sabah and KD Sri Sarawak. The two ships are among the 15 Kris-class patrol craft handed over by the RMN to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) between 2005 and 2006. The boats were renamed as Sipadan class by the MMEA.
The former KM Sipadan was retired by the MMEA in 2012 and subsequently scuttled off the coast of Tioman island in the same year. The rest of the class have also been retired but two hulls (ex Sundang and ex-Panah) were good enough to re-transferred back to the RMN and renamed as KD Sri Sabah and KD Sarawak. I
Malaysian Defence got a ship tour of one of these Sipadan class boats – KM Kukup – back in 2011. The first hint of that two ships – Sri Sabah and Sri Sarawak – were coming back was reported in July 2022 when the then RMN Region 2 (Mawilla 2) commander Rear Admiral Roslan Yunus told reporters in Sandakan in July 2022 that the two ships will join the fleet the next September. It did not happened of course.
It is likely both ships are still in the work-up period after their commissioning – unknown at the moment – their commanding officers made a courtersy call on the RMN Region 1 (Mawilla 1) commander Rear Admiral Farizal Meor at Kuantan, Pahang, on February 17. Mawilla 1 social media post identified the Sri Sarawak CO as Lt Kdr Anwar Redhwan Lokman Hakim and Sri Sabah CO Lt Kdr Mohd Fairuz bin Ahmad Fauzi.
There was no picture of both ships however. It is likely both will look like their sister ships, KD Sri Perlis and KD Sri Johor. It is unclear when both ships will sail to its new homeport, the Sandakan naval base. It may well be soon though as KD Selangor, the senior ship of the Eastern Fleet Command, is also currently in Kuantan likely for an exercise. Both Sri Sabah and Sri Sarawak may well escort Selangor back to Kota Kinabalu before sailing to its new home port
— Malaysian Defence
On The Way…
KD Sri Sarawak CO Lt Kdr Anwar Redhwan Lokman Hakim (left) and KD Sri Sabah CO Lt Kdr Mohd Fairuz Ahmad Fauzi (right) with Mawilla 1 CO Rear Admiral Farizal Myeor. RMN
View Comments (21)
The maintenance of these old hulls must be taking a substantial sum from the TLDM budget
I hope all this ship will get rehull just like KD Sri Perlis. At least they will look more modern.
Hasnan,
Not as much as the FACs and the Laksamanas. Maintenance costs also reduced when certain things are replaced.
Rock,
Who cares if they look modern? As long as they can perform what they're intended to.
I read somewhere previously that kd Sarawak were converted into artificial reef upon it's retirement from mmea. One thing for sure the hull is named as kd Sarawak.
Could it be another hull being renamed ? And out of 15 hulls, any idea what is the actual quantity remain. Any likehood that all the remaining hull to be modernised to the same standard as KD Perlis ?
Yes its mentioned in the story, the hull which became KM Sipadan is the old KD Sarawak. No idea whether it will be to the same standard as KD Sri Perlis but most likely
@Azlan
All these 40-50 year old hulls, where do you get the parts for them? Unless there are workshops that can custom make the parts. Repowering and rehulling is just making use of the opex to make new an old ship.
I hope all this ship will get rehull just like KD Sri Perlis. At least they will look more beautiful.
Hasnan - ''where do you get the parts for them?''
A lot of things have long been changed over the years and and certain amount of improvisation is needed for aged stuff which has not ben replaced. The main areas to look out for are the hull, engine, gearbox, shaft and electrics.
Hasnan - ''Repowering and rehulling''
Issues with the engines and hulls [especially the Laksamanas] have been the main issue.
Hasnan - ''to make new an old ship.''
No... This is a scommon misconception. ''Repowering and rehulling'' does not make a new ship; it makes a ship more manageable to operate. In the case of the Laksamanas I was first told about a feasibility study to rehull them in 2013 but the RMN never thought it would actually have to do so.
Rock - ''At least they will look more beautiful.''
At least they will have utility. Aesthetics is the least of the concerns.
This transference from TLDM to MMEA back to TLDM is indicative of the failures of our planners, the policy & decision makers and of the instabilities caused by the ever changing Governments. We reap what we sowed.
It is 13 patrol squadron sandakan, not 31.
Some of the first hints they are coming back is the many equipment tenders for ex-sundang and ex-panah, giving marhalim that made mistaken for new LMS name
Guess with the LCS is idle since 2018. RMN do have the fund needed to repowered/rehulling their existing ship.
While it isn't ideal as buying a brand new ship. It is what they could get as the voters would go banana if they heard RMN wanted to buy more patrol only or FFBNW ship.
Personally have no idea why they just don't transfer the base, personal & old ship to MMEA used for patrol only duties & concentrated on high end warfighting.