KUALA LUMPUR: Admiral Datuk Zulhelmy Ithnain, who led the historic voyage of Malaysia’s first submarine KD Tunku Abdul Rahman from France to Port Klang, Selangor, in July 2009, has been appointed as the new chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy.
Zulhelmy, who assumed the role of Acting Chief of the Navy on Aug 1, 2023, was promoted from Vice-Admiral to Admiral with his official appointment, according to a statement from the Strategic Communication Division of the Navy headquarters.
He succeeds Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Ayob, who will retire on Dec 2. The appointment ceremony took place at Wisma Pertahanan Auditorium, with Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin presiding over the rank pinning.
Zulhelmy, along with 34 other crew members, brought the submarine from Toulon in France to Port Klang in a 55-day journey over 6,000 nautical miles that included stopovers at three ports: Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, and Cochin in Kerala, India.
Born on Jan 2, 1968, in Dato Keramat, Kuala Lumpur, Zulhelmy joined the Navy as a cadet officer in 1986 after completing his secondary education at the Royal Military College. He was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant in the executive branch in 1988.
Zulhelmy’s distinguished career as a submariner started in 1993 when he earned his submarine qualification badge after completing training at HMAS Platypus, Australia, followed by further training in Brest, France, where he earned his command qualification on the Agosta Class Submarine.
His service includes several significant roles, such as Commander of the Submarine Force, Assistant Chief of Staff for Development (J5) at the Joint Force Headquarters, and Deputy Chief of Navy.
Zulhelmy holds a Master’s Degree in National Security Administration and has received the Outstanding Alumni Award from the National Defence College of the Philippines.
He is also an alumnus of the US Naval War College and the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom. – Bernama
