LUMUT: The government is satisfied with the construction progress of the five littoral combat ships (LCS), despite some reported delays.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said so far, completion should be at 73% with a delay of 1.68% for the five ships due to the factor of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM).
“So, now we are at the Lunas (Lumut Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd) shipyard to see the progress of the construction of the littoral combat ships.
“This is my second visit with the Armed Forces chief, KSU (chief secretary-general) and navy chief to show how important this project is for the country.
“Our presence would also enable the community out there to hear or get information directly from the ministry and me (instead of) hearing from others who make false accusations and assumptions,” he said, Bernama reported.
He was speaking after a working visit to the Lunas shipyard at the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) base.
Mohamed Khaled said his delegation was briefed on and satisfied with the progress of the work being carried out at the shipyard.
“As stated, one LCS will be handed over to RMN in August 2026 and we can see that LCS two, three, four and five are all being built according to their respective progress.
“As for LCS two, it is ready to be launched into the water in May and will be handed over to RMN in April 2027,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Khaled said yesterday that his party presented contributions to families of the victims of the RMN helicopter tragedy last year from the proceeds of a charity fund totalling RM312,000.
In addition, his party presented a contribution for the maintenance of RMN houses totalling RM70.44mil, with RM28.71mil for the Lumut camp.
