PORT KLANG: Today was a historic day for Malaysia with the arrival of the first of two Scorpene submarines for the Royal Malaysian Navy.
Describing the acquisition of the vessels as the single biggest defence procurement to date, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin called on the RMN to safeguard the integrity and sovereignty of the country.
“I hope you will have better avenues to protect the nation from threats, now that you are equipped with such expensive assets that are a force-multiplier.
“The submarine purchase has no doubt transformed the armed forces, and the RMN particularly, into a formidable force that is comparable with other navies,” said the king, who is also supreme commander of the Armed Forces.
| Malaysia’s first submarine KD Tunku Abdul Rahman docked at Port Klang after its arrival this morning. |
His majesty applauded the RMN officers and men who had successfully completed their four years of stringent training in France, sacrificing their family lives and returning home safely with the submarine despite rough seas.
“I congratulate and am proud of you men whom I believe have the dedication and capability to live up to the billing of `sedia berkorban’ (ready to sacrifice). I pray to the Almighty that you will be empowered with the strength and courage to serve.
“As the pioneer submarine crew, it is my hope that you keep up the excellent work on a national project as important as this,” he said in his speech at the welcoming ceremony of KD Tunku Abdul Rahman at the National Hydrography Centre in Pulau Indah.
Present were Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, who is also the RMN’s captain-in-chief, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and other top brass.
The second submarine, KD Tun Razak, is expected home later this year.
The Prime Minister’s-class submarines were procured in 2002 from a consortium comprising Armaris of France and Navantia of Spain, under a RM3.4 billion package.
KD Tunku Abdul Rahman, with a crew of 32 officers and men commandered by Cdr Zulhelmy Ithnain, left Toulon, France on July 11 on its 54-day journey with stopovers in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Djibouti and Cochin (India).
It will sail to the Lumut RMN base on Saturday for a three-day stopover before its crew take a break for Hari Raya Puasa. It will then proceed to its home base at Teluk Sepanggar in Sabah.
Later at a Press conference, Ahmad Zahid said the submarines, which were equipped with sophisticated integrated systems, required very high maintenance costs.
He added that KD Tunku Abdul Rahman and its crew would undergo tropical water training next month.
| Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak entering the KD Tun Abdul Razak. |
Asked on the possible procurement of more submarines, Ahmad Zahid said it depended on budgetary allocations which have been trimmed owing to the global economic downturn.
“Even for the purchase of these two submarines, we had planned it over 25 years ago during the Fifth Malaysia Plan. It’s now the Ninth Malaysia Plan. Hopefully, we will be able to buy more submarines during the 13th or 14th Malaysia Plans,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid added that in view of the operational difficulty, the sailing allowance of submarines would be reviewed from time to time.
At yesterday’s ceremony, Tuanku Mizan also launched 30 sen and 50 sen commemorative stamps and first-day covers of KD Tunku Abdul Rahman.
He later toured the submarine and viewed a submarine gallery, displaying photographs of the crew training and vessel construction at Cherbourg (France) and Cartagena (Spain), at the hydrography centre.
Article source:
