KUALA TERENGGANU, Patrol Vessel KM Sebatik is back in service to enhance the operations of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) in securing the sovereignty and security of the country’s waters, after undergoing a process of repowering (replacing the main machinery) and refit, for 22 months.
MMEA deputy director-general (Logistics), Maritime Vice-Admiral Datuk Saiful Lizan Ibrahim, said that the repowering and refit programme for the 40-year-old patrol vessel commenced in December 2022, at the OBM Technic Sdn Bhd Shipyard.
‘It is an initiative of MMEA to increase the lifespan of its vessels. It involves modernising older ships by replacing key components, such as the main machinery, power systems, electronic systems, accommodation, and others,’ he said, in a statement, today.
He said that the Sebatik KM handover ceremony, held at the OBM Technic Sdn Bhd Warehouse, here, today, and was attended by Ministry of Economy’s deputy director (Security Division) Nooraidah Abdullah; MMEA director (Enginee
ring Division) First Admiral Hamizan Harun; and Terengganu MMEA director Maritime Captain Mohd Khairulanuar Abdul Majid.
Saiful Lizan added that the refit of KM Sebatik included the conversion of the new main machinery system, the CUMMINS QSK60, designed for increased speed and more efficient use of fuel; installation of the latest Mist Eliminator Louvre system to enhance engine room ventilation; and high-tech communication and navigation equipment, such as the SIMRAD X Band marine radar, to ensure extensive monitoring capabilities in adverse weather conditions, such as rain or fog.
‘The ship’s primary armament system, which is the 20mm KAA Oerlikon cannon, is also maintained. Theoretical and practical training has been given to the crew, in addition to cannon-firing exercises, involving assets of the same class in Terengganu waters (to be carried out) in the near future, to ensure the capability and functionality of this type of cannon,’ he said.
For the record, this vessel measures 29 meters in length, 6
meters in width, and weighs 150 tonnes. It was built at Penang Shipbuilding Corporation Sdn Bhd in 1982 for the Marine Police, before being handed over to MMEA in 2011. Classified as a Gemia-class (Sipadan Steel) patrol vessel, it bears the pennant number 2958.
KM Sebatik is one of five assets undergoing the repowering and refit programme, where at the end of 2022, the government has provided an injection of allocations amounting to RM17.4 million, to ensure that the refit project can be implemented.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
