Second MPMS Vessel From Turkiye Expected Ready By End-next Year - Saifuddin Nasution

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 14 (Bernama) -- The second Multi-Purpose Mission Ship (MPMS), which is currently under construction in Turkiye, is expected to be completed and handed over to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) by the end of next year, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

He said the first MPMS vessel was expected to arrive in March next year, a month before the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA).

“If you recall, two years ago, when President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan came here, we signed an agreement to purchase one vessel. In less than two years, it is now ready.

“Compared with (if) we were to build it ourselves, there have been various cases where vessels were not completed, funds were exhausted and all sorts of other issues. This has given the Home Ministry confidence that it made the right decision, with a shorter construction period and a reasonable price,” he told the media after attending the Home Ministry’s monthly assembly here today.

Saifuddin Nasution said he would travel to Istanbul, Turkiye, at the end of this month to personally inspect the progress of the vessel’s construction.

He said the vessel’s construction was progressing ahead of schedule, further convincing the ministry that its decision was the right one in terms of the construction period and reasonable price.

The development of the vessel is another important step in efforts to strengthen the capabilities of the MMEA, particularly in addressing an increasingly complex maritime security environment.

In a related development, the ministry will evaluate an offer for a second offshore patrol vessel previously operated by the United States Coast Guard (USCG), based on its seaworthiness and repair costs.

Saifuddin Nasution said the evaluation would be based on a report by Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Awang Alik Jeman following an inspection conducted with MMEA experts, engineers and officers.

“They made the offer, but we have to satisfy ourselves (as to whether) it is seaworthy or not. So I tasked the secretary-general to go and inspect it, then submit a report to me,” he said.

He said Malaysia had previously received its first offshore patrol vessel from the USCG, which is now stationed in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

He added that cooperation with the USCG had been established since the formation of the MMEA and covered areas such as asset contributions, training, joint operations and intelligence sharing.

“If its seaworthiness is low and the cost to us is even higher, that would be a burden. We will not agree to it,” he said.

The government previously acquired the KM BENDAHARA offshore patrol vessel through the United States Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, and it was officially handed over to the MMEA on Sept 5, 2025, in Baltimore, United States.

-- BERNAMA