Muhibbah Engineering Offering Mothership To MMEA

18 April 2019

Multi Purpose Mission Ship was proposed by Muhibbah Engineering (photos : MFH)

Port Klang-based Muhibbah Engineering is offering its 100 meters Multi Purpose Mission Ship (MPMS) to fulfill the requirement by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) for two motherships to be deployed to the eastern and western sectors of the South China Sea.

The proposed MPMS features stowing capabilities for six Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) as well as flight deck on the bow to accommodate one helicopter. The stern deck is large enough to accommodate missionised  hangar or to enable catapult launched or vertical take off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operated by the coast guard.

The MPMS is also equipped with 30mm Remote Weapon Control System (RCWS) similar to the Bagan Datuk-class New Generation Patrol Craft (NGPC) and the new Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) that the coast guard has in its fleet.

A scaled model of the MPMS was displayed at the company’s booth during the Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace (LIMA) 2019 show last March.

Muhibbah Engineering also took the opportunity to showcase its CJ66 Fast Interceptor Craft (FIC), essentially a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) which features deep V shaped hull for better high speed handling. Powered with three 350 horse power engines, the CJ66 could reach maximum speed of 60 knots.

Muhibbah Engineering is able to customised the CJ66 according to the needs and requirement set by the client including the provision of shock absorbing seats, helm console position, long range thermal imager camera, weapon integration mounts, ballistic protection and cabin configurations.

The CJ66 is proposed as the FIC element for the MPMS. During Defence Service Asia (DSA) 2016 exhibition, the marine craft as well as a coaxial rotor, peanut shaped VTOL UAV (which looks like Canadair Cl-227 Sentinel) have been jointly promoted as integral element of the company’s bid to ESSCOM in the form of Mobile Offshore Base (MOB).

The MOB provides effective and real time C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance), increasing Situational Awareness capability to Security Forces.

In line with the main objectives of seabase deployment along the waters of eastern Sabah, the MOB provides better respond and reaction time to counter any unwanted elements. It can be mobilized into high security threat area or other areas for other tasks such as to assist disaster relief or SAR (Search & Rescue).

ESSCOM had previously outline the need for six seabases to be deployed along the waters of Sabah. The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) currently deploys three seabases namely the KA Bunga Mas 5, KA Tun Azizan and PL Tun Sharifah Rodziah while the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) Marine Operation Force deploys one Supply Base vessel, the PSB-1 and one Landing Craft, the PLC-1.

The coast guard first set forth its idea of operating mothership or seabase in mid 2017 following intrusion by foreign coastguard and fishing ships into Malaysian territorial waters. Several incident of sea robbery in the western waters of the South China Sea has also prompted the coastguard to look for such platform. (here)

Since then, the coastguard has received several proposal including from shipping industries in Sarawak.

Muhibbah Engineering is the company responsible for building the famous MV Polaris, a buoy tender ship operated by the Malaysian Marine Department (Jabatan Laut Malaysia – JLM) which was involved in naval standoff with Singapore off Johor earlier this year that has resulted both countries to withdraw their maritime border extension plan and returned to previous status quo.

MV Polaris had also makes its appearance during LIMA 2019 and became one of five civilian vessels that participated in the naval review off the waters of Langkawi in conjunction with the event.

(MFH)