By Mohd Firdaus Md Saisi
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 (Bernama) – Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has expressed its readiness to support the Royal Malaysian Navy’s (RMN) modernisation programme by offering three proven naval ship platforms tailored to Malaysia’s 15-to-5 Transformation Plan.
HHI Manager of Sales, International Defence Program Naval and Special Ship, Jewon Yun said the company is prepared to propose its HDP-1500, HDP-2200 and HDP-10000 models for the upcoming acquisition programmes under the RMN.
“On behalf of HHI, I am very proud to propose these proven models to the Royal Malaysian Navy. We are more than ready to support the 15-to-5 programme in terms of long-term partnership and local collaboration,” he told Bernama on the sidelines of the Maritime Capacity and Collaboration Forum yesterday.
Jewon said these three models are proven platforms with operational track records.
“What we are offering to Malaysia are not just concepts, but ships that are already in service with other navies,” he said.
He added that HHI is committed to ensuring that maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capabilities can be developed locally in Malaysia, mirroring the company’s investment in the Subic Shipyard in the Philippines.
“We have no problem training local engineers. We can dispatch experts from our Ulsan Shipyard to work with Malaysian shipyards, so that local teams can handle maintenance and minor repairs without having to wait for support from South Korea,” he said.
On whether the vessels will be built fully in South Korea or partially in Malaysia, Yun said the final arrangement would be open to negotiation with the Malaysian government.
“It doesn’t have to be 100 per cent build in South Korea. It can be 50-50 or even 20-80. We are flexible and open to working with local partners,” he said.
The RMN’s 15-to-5 Transformation Plan, launched in 2015, aims to streamline its fleet from 15 classes of ships to just five core combat vessel classes by 2050.
The strategy is designed to improve efficiency, reduce maintenance costs, and enhance interoperability across platforms.
The five classes identified are Multi-Role Support Ships (MRSS), Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), Littoral Mission Ships (LMS), Patrol Vessels (PV) and Submarines.
By consolidating into these classes, the RMN intends to replace ageing assets with modern, multi-mission platforms capable of safeguarding Malaysia’s maritime interests, especially in the South China Sea and surrounding waters.
The forum, which coincided with the 3rd Korea-Malaysia Defence Industry Cooperation Seminar hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, gathered Malaysian defence officials and industry stakeholders to discuss naval modernisation and strategic partnerships.
— BERNAMA
BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; www.bernama.com; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies.
Follow us on social media :
Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio
Twitter : @bernama.com, @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio
Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial
TikTok : @bernamaofficial
