KUALA LUMPUR: Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation Bhd’s (BHIC) associate company, Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS), has delivered to the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN), the first of four littoral mission ships (LMS) it was commissioned to build.
Defence Ministry undersecretary (Procurement Division) Datuk Ahmad Hussaini Abdul Rahman received LMS1, KERIS, witnessed by RMN Eastern Fleet commander Datuk Syed Zahrul Putra Syed Abdullah and BHIC CEO Ir Ee Teck Chee.
BNS signed a procurement contract with the government on March 23, 2017 to build four LMS in partnership with China Shipbuilding and Offshore International Corporation Ltd in China.
In a statement, the group said the LMS is capable of operating in multi-mission roles and in all weather conditions.
With a length of 68 metres and a maximum speed of 22 knots, the LMS has a complement of 45 crew members plus 16 personnel on detachments, and an endurance of 15 days at sea, it said.
Meanwhile, BHIC non-executive chairman Admiral (Rtd) Tan Sri Ramlan Mohamed Ali said the close collaboration between BNS and RMN’s LMS project teams and the skills and capabilities of the personnel had contributed to the smooth progress of the project. and timely delivery of KERIS.
“All milestones of KERIS, leading to its handover, have been met according to schedule, from the First Steel Cut on July 31, 2018 to its Keel-Laying on Oct 23, 2018 and its launching on April 15, 2019,” he added. – Jan 3, 2020, Bernama
