Malaysian Defence Minister Najib Razak visited the French naval shipyard at Cherbourg Friday, where two Scorpene submarines ordered by his country are being built.

The first of the submarines is to be delivered in early 2008 with the second nine months later, said Philippe Novelli, head of the project for Armaris, the company set up by shipbuilder DCN and defense systems company Thales.

Najib, who is also deputy prime minister, visited the first of two Scorpene submarines ordered by the Chilean navy.

The Scorpene, which is designed for coastal protection, costs between 300 and 350 million euros (US$360 million to US$420 million).

It was jointly developed by DCN and the Spanish shipbuilder Bazan, later renamed IZAR.