Anwar inspects LCS construction progress during visit to Lumut Naval Shipyard

LUMUT: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today inspected progress on the Royal Malaysian Navy's (RMN) Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) construction project at Lumut Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (Lunas), located within the RMN base here.
Anwar's visit included a detailed briefing on the latest developments concerning the construction of five LCS vessels.
He was received by Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari and Armed Forces Chief General Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar.
Also present were Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, and Navy Chief Tan Sri (Dr) Zulhelmy Ithnain.
Anwar arrived at the Lunas shipyard at around 10.26am and spent about 15 minutes inspecting the progress of the first ship, LCS 1.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued in conjunction with Anwar's visit, the Defence Ministry said the second ship, LCS 2, was successfully downslipped (lowered into the water) on May 8 and is now undergoing subsequent construction work.
It is expected to begin the Setting to Work (STW) phase in September this year.
It said that the first ship, LCS 1, was downslipped as scheduled on May 23, 2024, and began its STW phase in May 2025 where the vessel is scheduled for its first sea sailing in December 2025.
The statement also said that as of May 25, the overall progress for all five LCS vessels stood at 72.43 per cent.
The ministry assured that strict monitoring is being carried out in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
It said that the construction of LCS 3 to LCS 5 remains on schedule, with LCS 3 expected to be delivered in 2027, followed by the remaining ships at eight-month intervals, with the final vessel, LCS 5, slated for completion in 2029.
"Close monitoring by the ministry, together with stakeholders including the Finance Ministry, Economy Ministry, Prime Minister's Department Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) and the Attorney-General's Chambers, will continue.
"This is to ensure proactive intervention measures can be taken by Lunas, thereby ensuring smooth project implementation," it said.
In March, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the RM11 billion LCS project had experienced a delay of 1.68 per cent, reaching 71.62 per cent completion versus the scheduled 73 per cent for all five vessels.
Khaled said the government was very satisfied with the progress, noting that the minor delay was due to issues involving equipment from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

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