Launch Of A New Kind Of Naval Ship

Bunga Mas Lima In MISC Colours (photo credit : deltamarin.com)

Further to my earlier posting, it has now been confirmed that the Royal Malaysian Navy will now operate a new class of ship, the naval auxiliary ship. The latest news announced today regarding Ops Fajar is that MISC Ship Bunga Mas Lima has been launched as a naval auxiliary ship after modifications in Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Sdn Bhd (MMHE), a subsidiary of MISC, MMHE shipyard, Pasir Gudang, today. Despite my earlier speculation, the ship is actually a 699 TEU container ship and has been renamed as Naval Auxiliary Ship TLDM BM5 and will be now tasked for escort missions in the Gulf of Aden. As a result the KD Inderapura now operating in the Gulf will return home as scheduled this month.

The Naval Auxilary TLDM BM5 (photo credit : standupper @ cariforum)

To be crewed by a mix of MISC seamen, navy men and Paskal special forces, the MISC seamen has been absorbed as Malaysian Navy reserves and has had basic military training. They will be responsible for the navigation and maintenance of the ship while the naval men is charge of the security arrangements. As for the ship itself, she operates under international law as a naval auxiliary under military control and enjoys sovereign immunity privileges.

Another View of the Ship (photo credit : standupper @ cariforum)

For MISC, the delivery of the ship is a sign of their commitment to the safety of their shipping operations and crew especially in the pirate infested Gulf of Aden. For the RMN, the operation of the ship embodies the realization of a very component of the concept of Total Defence stated in the National Defence Policy.

This blog wishes the ship and the crew Godspeed in their service and congratulate all the parties involved in finding an amicable solution to resolving the security issue for our shipping in the Gulf.

Postscript : For More photos of the ship being converted, please visit this blogspot page.