KUALA LUMPUR:The much-scrutinised littoral combat ship (LCS) project has now been hit with a further delay, with the commissioning of the first vessel falling behind schedule, says Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
He told the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (Jan 28) that according to Lumut Naval Shipyard (Lunas), the overall progress of the ships has only reached 75.75%, when the completion rate should have hit 81.57% by now.
Progress on the first vessel is only at 82.90% compared to the planned 96.52%, he added.
"The progress covers the construction of the ship’s structure, installation of major equipment, and integration of the ship’s systems.
"Although there have been delays compared with the original schedule, the ministry was informed by Lunas that LCS Ship 1 has been successfully launched and is now in the phase of installation and integration of its main systems.
"The sea trials phase for LCS Ship 1 at the shipyard commenced on Jan 20, followed by the first sea-going trial today.
"This phase includes testing of the machinery, power systems, air-conditioning systems and propulsion system.
"This initial process is intended to ensure that LCS Ship 1 is capable of navigating at sea, while platform and equipment preparations are being actively undertaken to enable full sea trials to begin in early April," he added.
According to Khaled, the commissioning schedule for LCS Ship 1 has been revised to December, four months later than planned.
LCS Ship 2 has been rescheduled to August next year while LCS Ship 3 remains on course for December next year.
LCS Ship 4 is to be commissioned in August 2028, and LCS Ship 5 in April 2029.
Khaled said a total of RM8.3bil out of the RM11.2bil contract value has been spent so far.
"To ensure ongoing transparency and regulatory oversight, the ministry has established several monitoring platforms, including project management review, a project monitoring committee, and a technical committee that meets regularly, with full involvement from the Royal Malaysian Navy as the end-user, as well as Lunas," he said.
Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (PN-Tanah Merah) had asked about the status of sea trials for LCS Ship 1, KD Maharajalela, and whether or not the ship could be commissioned on schedule in August.
Under the multibillion-ringgit project signed in 2014, six LCS ships were supposed to be delivered in stages beginning in 2019, but none were completed on time.
The delays resulted in the cost of LCS construction increasing from RM9.128bil to RM11.22bil.
