Defence analyst: When will MMEA receive its vessels?

SHAH ALAM- The handover of the offshore patrol vessel (OPV) to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (Malaysian Maritime), which was previously scheduled for July 24, is said to have yet been made until now.

Zaki Salleh, a defence analyst, was concerned that the lack of statements from relevant parties leaves room for uncertainty.

"OPV 1 was promised to be handed over in March 2023 after the 'sea trial' completion and could have joined the LIMA 2023. But it was delayed because the cannons from Turkiye did not arrive.

"The ship was then scheduled to be handed over on July 24, but that did not happen. As of now, there has been no statement from any involved parties.

"If this had happened eight months ago, it would have certainly been used in the (general elections) campaign. Whoever is skilled at manipulating information could have used it to their advantage. Let's wait and see what happens next," he said in a post on Facebook on Friday.

In 2017, a contract was signed for constructing three OPVs for Maritime Malaysia for RM738.9 million.

The project was expected to be finished by 2020 but experienced delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ship was later promised to be ready in 2021 but has yet to be delivered.

Last January, the government decided through the Finance Ministry to take control of the OPV 1 project. The project had encountered significant issues with a loan injection of RM152.6 million, resulting in a total cost of approximately RM891.5 million to finish the ship by the end of this year.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution visited the construction site at TH Heavy Engineering (THHE) Berhad Shipyard, Pulau Indah, Selangor, in March.

He then confirmed that the ship would be handed over on July 24 after being informed by the company responsible for building the vessels, THHE.