PM reviews LCS progress in Lumut; construction reaches 72.43pct

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim visited the Lumut Naval Shipyard (Lunas) at the Royal Malaysian Navy base today to review the progress of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) construction.

Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari and Defence Force chief Nizam Jaffar accompanied the premier.

Anwar also received a detailed briefing on the progress of the construction of five LCS units for the navy.

In a statement, the Defence Ministry said that overall progress on the ship construction had reached 72.43 percent as of May 25.

It said that close coordination with key stakeholders, including the Finance Ministry, the Economy Ministry, the Prime Minister's Department's Implementation Coordination Unit, and the Attorney-General’s Chambers, is ongoing to enable Lunas' proactive intervention and ensure the smooth implementation of the project.

The ministry also said that LCS1 was successfully launched onto the water (downslip) on May 23, in line with the contractual schedule.

“LCS1 has now entered the setting to work (STW) phase as of last month (May) and is scheduled to undergo its first sea sailing in December.

“As for LCS2, it was launched earlier on May 8 and is undergoing continued construction, with STW activities planned to begin in September this year,” it said.

It also added that construction of LCS3 to LCS5 remains on schedule, with LCS3 expected to be delivered to the navy in 2027. The subsequent ships will be handed over at eight-month intervals, with final delivery of LCS5 expected in 2029.

- Bernama

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