LUMUT, March 11 — The government is satisfied with the progress of the construction of the five littoral combat ships (LCS), despite delays.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said completion should be at 73 per cent, and there was a delay of 1.68 per cent for the five ships due to the factor of the original equipment manufacturer.
“Now we are at LUNAS (Lumut Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd) shipyard to see the progress of the construction of the LCS. This is my second visit with the Armed Forces chief, KSU (secretary-general) and the navy chief to show how important this project is for the country.
“Our presence would also enable the community out there to hear or get information directly from the ministry and me, (instead of) hearing from others who make false accusations and assumptions,” he said.
He said this at a press conference after a working visit to LUNAS at the Royal Malaysian Naval (RMN) Base here today.
Khaled said that during the visit, he was satisfied with the progress of the work being carried out at the shipyard.
“As stated, one LCS will be handed over to RMN in August 2026, and for your information, we can see that the second, third, fourth and fifth LCS are all being built according to their respective schedules.
“As for the second LCS, it is ready to be launched into the water in May and the ship will be handed over to RMN in April 2027,” he said.
He said the third LCS is expected to be launched in January 2026.
Meanwhile, Khaled said that yesterday, his delegation had presented contributions to the families of the victims of the RMN helicopter tragedy last year from proceeds of a charity fund totalling RM312,000.
In addition, his party also presented a contribution for the maintenance of RMN houses totaling RM70.44 million, with RM28.71 million for the Lumut camp.
— Bernama
