Malaysia's purchase of two Scorpene submarines can help the country ensure its territories are safe from intrusion, says Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

"The presence of submarines increases control over the country's waters and important areas to ensure there is no intrusion into Malaysia's sovereignty," Hishammuddin ( photo ) said in a parliamentary written reply.

He was responding to Batu MP Tian Chua, who asked the minister what contribution the Scorpene submarines have made in securing the waters of Sabah and South China Sea.

The reply comes amid continuous security lapses in Sabah that have resulted in multiple kidnapping cases over the last two years.

The latest incident took place in Sandakan last Thursday, where four gunmen launched an incursion and raided a seaside restaurant, kidnapping its owner and a customer.

The armed gunmen, who arrived by boat, took their hostages to southern Philippines and have since demanded a "large ransom", according to police.

Last July, gunmen killed a policeman and kidnapped a woman from the resort island of Mabul, also in eastern Sabah.

Two women including a Chinese national were taken from a resort in Semporna in the same region in April 2014.

In 2013, a tourist was killed and his wife kidnapped from a Sipadan resort near Sandakan.

Intelligence gathering

In the written reply, Hishammuddin said the submarines can also gather intelligence in the South China Sea and international waters as well as identify foreign ships and merchant vessels.

In war time, he added, the submarines can defend the "Sea Line of Communication" (Sloc) to ensure that merchant vessels can pass safely.

"Other than that, the submarines are also gatekeepers to protect shipping lanes in national waters and are capable of launching attacks against any form of threats on land or undersea," he said.

For the maintenance of the submarines, Hishammuddin said Malaysia is paying 194 million euro (RM778 million) for a contract procured directly from France and another local contract worth RM532 million.

"The value of the contract covers maintenance of the submarines and also infrastructure development, replacement parts and technology transfer," he said.

Malaysia's purchase of the two submarines from France for 1.08 billion euros in 2009 has been plagued with controversy over allegations of commission payments.