GEORGE TOWN: The First Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV1), along with 15 maritime vessels (KM), belonging to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), involved in the 2023 Perkasa Barat Maritime Exercise, are currently heading towards the Penang waters.
MMEA director-general, Maritime Admiral Datuk Hamid Mohd Amin, said that OPV1's participation in the exercise conducted by the agency was to test its full capabilities before it was officially handed over to MMEA.
"TH Heavy Engineering Berhad (THHE) is currently doing the sea trial phase on OPV1, and it is now sailing into Penang with other vessels.
"It is being tested for four days, from November 28 (Tuesday) to tomorrow (December 1), by travelling a distance of 630 nautical miles in the waters of the Straits of Melaka, starting from Port Klang, and will arrive at Langkawi Island, Kedah," he said in a statement today (November 30).
He also said that he visited the KM Pekan vessel to monitor the readiness of all vessels and personnel involved in the exercise.
The OPV1, measuring 83 metres long and 13.7 metres wide, is capable of operating at sea for a maximum period of 21 days without resupply.
It is also equipped with a UAV and a 30mm Smash Aselsan cannon, and has a speed of 21 knots, apart from boasting facilities such as a helicopter landing pad, a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) and a detention room.
Hamid also expressed hope that all participating vessels would achieve the desired level, besides being able to improve the competence of the nearly 500 MMEA personnel.
"Through the exercise, I hope that all MMEA personnel can always be prepared for the actual operational situation in the future," he said. — BERNAMA