Navy to work with telcos to enhance maritime safety app

New Zealand Navy Chief Rear Admiral John Martin and (Left) Navy Chief Admiral Tan Sri Ahmad Kamarulzaman during his first visit to Malaysia at Wisma Pertahanan in Kuala Lumpur. - Sam Tham/The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Malaysian Navy plans to work with service providers to enhance its K3M mobile app, aimed at bolstering naval security by engaging with maritime communities.

Navy chief Admiral Tan Sri Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin said the navy is now in talks with Telekom Malaysia in hopes of getting the app to work with satellite signals.

"This will happen in the second phase of development to expand the reach of the app," he said at a press conference here Monday.

Admiral Ahmad Kamarulzaman added that the concept could be adopted by other countries to solve maritime security issues.

The second development phase is expected to happen this month.

The app, which was launched during the 2017 Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace exhibition in March, allows the maritime community to lodge reports or request emergency assistance directly with the Navy or the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).

"By sending a report with this app, the community can be assured speedy help when they face distress at sea, especially now seeing that we are facing bad weather," he said, adding that they can also report suspicious activities.

Admiral Ahmad Kamarulzaman said the app now has over 4,000 users and is available for free for both Android and iPhone users.

Earlier, Admiral Ahmad Kamarulzaman welcomed his New Zealand counterpart Rear Admiral John Martin who is on a three day visit to Malaysia.

Rear Admiral Martin earlier met Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

His itinerary includes a visit to the Eastern fleet headquarters in Kota Kinabalu where he will meet with its chief, Vice Admiral Datuk Syed Zahiruddin Putra Syed Osman and test the navy's submarine simulator at the submarine force headquarters there.

This is Rear Admiral Martin's first visit to Malaysia after his appointment in 2015 and is seen as a step towards enhancing regional collaboration in maintaining maritime security and strengthening ties between the two countries.