Malaysia mulls accepting 2nd vessel from US Coast Guard

Malaysia mulls accepting 2nd vessel from US Coast Guard

2 hours ago

Anne Muhammad

Home ministry wants to ensure the ship is suitable for MMEA's use and its maintenance costs are reasonable.

The first vessel received from the US Coast Guard last year required some upgrading works, the costs of which were partially covered by the US. (Bernama pic)

PUTRAJAYA:

Malaysia is considering accepting Washington’s offer of another vessel from the US Coast Guard to bolster the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency’s (MMEA) capabilities.

Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said a decision would be made after receiving a report on the ship to ensure that it remains suitable for MMEA’s use and its maintenance costs are reasonable.

He said the ministry’s secretary-general would lead technical checks, joined by experts from MMEA and engineers.

“After we accepted (the first vessel) last year, they wrote in again to offer us a second vessel.

“So we must conduct our own checks first. Receiving the offer is one thing – we must also ensure that the ship is satisfactory,” he said at a press conference here.

Saifuddin added that the first vessel received from the US Coast Guard required some upgrade works, the costs of which were partially covered by the US.

Rela allowance review, Negeri Sembilan probe ongoing

The home minister also said the finance ministry had agreed in principle to increase the current allowance rate of RM8 an hour for People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) personnel.

He said over 35,000 Rela personnel would benefit from this, and that the new rate would be “reasonable”, accounting for the government’s finances.

Separately, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail confirmed that an investigation paper had been opened into Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Ismail Lasim’s claim that he was forced to sign a proclamation seeking to remove Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir as the state ruler.

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Khalid said the investigation was ongoing, while Saifuddin said updates would be provided in due course.

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From Google A1:

The Royal Australian Navy bought two heavy amphibious landing ships from the US Navy in the mid-1990s that indeed became known as expensive "rust buckets". [1, 2]

The Purchase and the Reality

The Ships: Australia bought two 40-year-old, 8,000-tonne Newport-class tank landing ships from the US Navy—named HMAS Manoora and HMAS Kanimbla. [1, 2, 3]
The Cost: They looked like a bargain at just $61 million for the pair in 1994. [1, 2]
The Rust: The hulls were later found to be heavily corroded and riddled with deep rust. Repair and conversion costs blew out by hundreds of percent, eventually costing tens of millions of dollars—nearly ten times the initial purchase price. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The Outcome: The severe structural corrosion problems could not be sustainably managed. The Australian government ordered HMAS Manoora to be scrapped in 2011, followed soon after by its sister ship.