British engine maker Rolls-Royce International Ltd is holding talks with the Malaysian government on the possibility of supplying the Royal Malaysian Navy with its newly developed gas turbine engine, a report said today.

"The MT30 engine is a result of years of research conducted by Rolls-Royce to adapt the Trent 800 engine widely used in Boeing 777 aircraft," Rolls-Royce regional manager David A Jones said at an international defence exhibition held on the northern island of Langkawi.

"It has been developed for use on naval ships such as frigates, destroyers and aircraft carriers requiring high-powered propulsion,"

"The Trent 800 engine has recorded a high level of achievement especially in warmer climates such as Malaysia's. We believe the 36 megawatt MT30, which is 11 megawatts more powerful than a normal engine, will in future, be the engine of choice for naval ships in Asia-Pacific," he was quoted as saying by the Malay-language Berita Harian .

Malaysia recently embarked on a major arms spree, agreeing to buy Russian fighter jets, French submarines, British and Russian missile systems and Polish attack tanks.

Jones said the maritime power propulsion system market in Asia Pacific could be worth RM12 billion over the next 15 years.

Rolls-Royce is among some 600 companies from 25 countries participating in the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) exhibition 2003 held from Sept 30 until Oct 5.

British High Commissioner to Malaysia Bruce Cleghorn said last week that the United Kingdom was the biggest exporter of defence equipment after the United States, generating an average of RM30 billion in worldwide sales each year. - AFP