KUALA LUMPUR: Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) Eastern Fleet deputy commander First Admiral Dr Najhan Md Said (pic) has been appointed as the vice-chair of the Sub-Committee Undersea Features Name (SCUFN), in what is hailed as a great honour by the navy.
The appointment, which takes effect for the term 2024-2028, came during SCUFN’s 36th meeting in Wollongong, Australia, recently.
“Najhan’s appointment is the highest honour received by the navy and the country on the international stage, especially in the fields of hydrography and oceanography.
“It clearly shows the distinguished quality of the navy,” the RMN’s Naval Headquarters Strategic Communication said in a statement.
It said Najhan’s appointment was done through a voting process involving 12 SCUFN permanent members from 12 countries.
Besides Malaysia, the other 11 permanent members are the United States, Australia, Brazil, China, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, Mexico and New Zealand.
“Najhan was elected after beating a permanent member from China, Dr Li Sihai, 10 votes to two.
“Dr Yasuhiko Ohara from Japan was elected as chairman,” the statement said.
SCUFN is a committee under the auspices of the International Hydrographic Organisation and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.
It is responsible for reviewing, approving and standardising geographic terms and ocean floor features submitted by member countries to be officially gazetted in the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (Gebco) database.
This database contains the official undersea feature names for the publication of world marine charts and atlases.
Any production of marine geological studies must refer to the official names gazetted in it.
