LUMUT: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim visited the Lumut Naval Shipyard (Lunas) at the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) base here on Sunday (June 15) to review the progress of the littoral combat ship (LCS) construction.
He was accompanied by Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari and Chief of Defence Force General Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar.
Anwar was also briefed on the progress of the construction of five LCS units.
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In a statement, the Defence Ministry said overall progress on the construction had reached 72.43% as of May 25.
It said that close coordination with key stakeholders, including the Finance Ministry, Economy Ministry, the Implementation Coordination Unit of the Prime Minister's Department, and the Attorney General’s Chambers, is ongoing to enable proactive intervention by Lunas and ensure the smooth implementation of the project.
The ministry also said that LCS1 was successfully launched onto the water on May 23, in line with the contractual schedule.
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"LCS1 has now entered the setting to work (STW) phase as of May and is scheduled to undergo its first sea (trials) in December.
"LCS2 was launched earlier on May 8 and is undergoing continued construction, with STW activities planned to begin in September,” it said.
It also added that the construction of LCS3 to LCS5 is on schedule, with LCS3 expected to be delivered to the RMN in 2027.
The remaining two ships will be handed over at eight-month intervals, with final delivery of LCS5 expected in 2029. – Bernama
