KUALA LUMPUR: More than 60% of the Royal Malaysian Navy's (TLDM) assets are now over 40 years old, resulting in rising maintenance costs as the service continues to await the replacement of its ageing fleet.
Navy chief Admiral Tan Sri Zulhelmy Ithnain said the ageing fleet remained one of the TLDM’s biggest challenges as the vessels still have to be deployed to meet daily operational commitments.
He said older ships now require more corrective maintenance than preventive maintenance as they are more prone to unexpected breakdowns.
"More than 60% of our assets are over 40 years old. This is one of the biggest challenges facing the TLDM because we still have to commit six ships to operations every day throughout the year.
"As these vessels age, corrective maintenance becomes more frequent than preventive maintenance because they can break down unexpectedly," he told reporters after attending the 53rd anniversary celebration of the Combattante Squadron at the Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur on Thursday (July 2).
Zulhelmy said although the ageing vessels remain seaworthy, their age has made maintenance increasingly challenging, including the difficulty of sourcing spare parts.
He likened maintaining the ships to keeping a car from the 1970s on the road, as replacement parts have become increasingly difficult to obtain.
He said two Combattante-class vessels, KD Perdana and KD Ganas, are currently undergoing an Obsolescence Programme to strengthen their hull integrity, allowing them to remain in service for another 10 to 15 years.
However, he stressed that the programme was only an interim measure while the RMN awaited the induction of new assets under its 15-to-5 Transformation Programme.
"This is an interim measure. We cannot continue doing this indefinitely because the maintenance costs of ageing vessels will continue to rise," he said.
Zulhelmy said all four Combattante-class vessels, which entered service 53 years ago, remain in the TLDM inventory but now serve as patrol vessels after their missile-launch capability was retired due to obsolete systems.
