PM Anwar Reviews LCS Progress At Lunas; Construction Reaches 72.43 Pct

LUMUT, June 15 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today visited the Lumut Naval Shipyard (LUNAS) at the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) base here to review the progress of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) construction.

He was accompanied by Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari and Chief of Defence Force General Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar.

Anwar also received a detailed briefing on the current progress of the construction of five Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) units for the RMN.

The Defence Ministry, in a statement, said that overall progress on the ship construction had reached 72.43 per cent as of May 25.

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

The ministry also said that Littoral Combat Ship 1 (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 currently 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 RMN in 2027. The subsequent ships will be handed over at eight-month intervals, with final delivery of LCS5 expected in 2029.

-- BERNAMA