KUALA LUMPUR: After three postponements, the long overdue first offshore patrol vessel (OPV1) is finally tested and ready for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency's (MMEA) use as a Malaysian Maritime Patrol Coast Guard ship.
The first of three OPVs handing over ceremony will be held tomorrow at Limbungan Kapal THHE Fabricators Sdn Bhd in Pulau Indah Industrial Park in the morning.
The handover ceremony, between shipmaker TH Heavy Engineering Berhad (THHE) to MMEA is expected to be witnessed by the Home Ministry's chief secretary Datuk Ruji Ubi tomorrow.
Previously, the handing over of the first offshore patrol vessel (OPV1) or the Malaysian Coast Guard vessel to MMEA had been postponed three times, with the latest postponement being on Nov 27.
Initially, the shipmaker was supposed to deliver the ship in March this year but failed to do so, as it needed more time to complete the construction of the ship's advanced operating system.
Subsequently, it was supposed to be ready in July this year but that too was postponed to November, before it can finally be delivered tomorrow.
The most recent postponement, last month, was allegedly due an awaiting sea trial for the vessels to sail and be sure that it is fully ready to be delivered.
OPV1 had undergone a four day sea trial with Eksesais Maritim Perkasa Barat 2023 from Nov 28 to Dec 1, covering 630 nautical miles in the Malacca Strait starting at Port Klang and ending at Pulau Langkawi.
MMEA director-general Maritime Admiral Datuk Hamid Mohd Amin had 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.
In a report on Nov 29, Hamid said TH Heavy Engineering Berhad (THHE) is conducting a sea trial phase on OPV1 before making sure that it is ready to be handed over to the agency.
OPV1, registration number 8305, measures 83m long and 13.7m wide, capable of operating at sea for a maximum period of 21 days without resupply.
It is also equipped with a UAV, a 30mm Smash Aselsan Cannon, a speed of 21 knots using facilities such as a helicopter landing pad, a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) and a detention room.
There are another two vessels, OPV2 and OPV3 which are still under construction by the same shipmaker, with the completion date has yet to be announced.
The assembling and construction of the ship had faced many disruptions and challenges, including the need for the Finance Ministry to inject an additional RM152.6 million into the building project which cost a whopping RM 891.5 million to be completed.
The failure to deliver even one of the vessels, after the payment had been made, summoned for a thorough investigation on the procurement of the vessel construction project and those who facilitated the project.
After a long, detailed investigation and interference of several government agencies, parliament and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigation, the project was resumed. Now with another two vessels, OPV2 and OPV3 still in construction, the MMEA awaits.