SHAH ALAM: The Procurement Division of the Home Ministry has issued a 21-day tender for the supply and delivery of ten Rigid Hull Fender Boat (RHFB) for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency or MMEA. The tender was published October 29 and closes on November 19.

The indicative cost for the ten RHFB is RM26 million which means that each will cost RM2.6 million each. This will be cheaper than the Rigid Hull Assault Boat of the Marine Police. That said the new boats for tender will be more expensive than the 30 units Perkasa-class RHFB contracted to Dalac Marine and Engineering Sdn Bhd, for RM46.5 million or RM1.55 million per boat. Like anything in life, it is cheaper to buy things in bulk.

Based on the specifications of the tender, the RHFB will be of the same size as the Perkasa-class RHFB though it should have a faster top speed of 50knots. It will have three mounting for machine-guns, one forward, and two aft. The new RHFB will replace the current Kilat class RHIBs, 53 of which remained in service. This means more of the new patrol boats will be ordered in the future.

The vast area of the MMZ
needs to be protected by MMEA by showing continuous presence of
MMEA vessels. Presently, these duties are carried out by MMEA using
several types of patrol boats including fifty-three (53) vessels of KILAT
Class, Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB). The RHIB had been in
operations for more than 17 years in MMEA. These boats need to be
replaced with new and modern boats, known as RHFB, which are
specially designed for coast guard enforcement duties. RHFB are
vessels with the ability to operate for not less than 8 hours and
undertake a wide range of tasks such as interception, interdiction,
surveillance and SAR. Some of these RHIB in Peninsular Malaysia has
been replaced with the new PERKASA Class which enter operation in
2020. However, the RHIB is still used for operation in Sabah and
Sarawak. Therefore, these RHFB’s will be stationed in MMEA bases
located throughout Sabah and Sarawak to replace the current aging
KILAT Class.
The boats shall be used mainly
for enforcement duties such as interception of smugglers, pursuit of
pirates and force boarding of vessels. The boat also will be used in
special operation such as interception of armed foreign vessel, fast
insertion and extraction operation especially in eastern Sabah waters.
For this purpose, the RHFB shall be protected with robust and rugged
fendering system around the boat.
The boat shall also be able to act as a life boat, diving boat, search
and rescue (SAR) boat, perform enforcement and patrol duties as well
as for special maritime operations.
Length : 12-13 meters
b. Beam : not more than 3.5 meters
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c. Draught : not more than 1.0 meter
d. Displacement : not more than 9.5 tonnes (fully loaded)
e. Maximum Speed : Not less than 50 knots (half loaded)
f. Cruising Speed : Approximately 40 knots (fully loaded)
g. Hull Material : Marine Grade Aluminium Alloy (5083H321) or
Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) or equivalent.
10 passengers (includes pilot and navigator)
l. Propulsion : Equipped with maximum three (3) units of latest petrol or
diesel Outboard Motor (OBM) to achieve the speed requirement. (The
bidder shall provide brochure for the proposed OBMs)
m. Range : Not less than 300 nautical miles (Cruising speed)
n. Endurance : 8 hours (Cruising speed)
o. Seat : At least eight (8) suspension shock system jockey seats and
two (2) suspension bucket shock system side by side stand up seats for
the pilot and navigator.
p. Power : 1 x Generator 5 Kva
q. Accommodations : 1 x Air Conditioning Unit
r. Cabin Type : Semi-cabin Type
s. Weapon Mounting : Three (3) General Purpose Machine Gun
(GPMG) hard point located at centre (forward), Port and Starboard (aft)
come with telescopic pintle and bullet proof plate. The plate and
telescopic pintle shall be easily removed for storage. These hard points
shall be protected and preserved when not in use.

For the full specifications please go to the Eperolehan website.

— Malaysian Defence

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