LCS Project Faces Further Delays; First Ship Commissioning Pushed Back by Four Months

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 28:  Malaysia’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) project has been hit by another delay, with the commissioning of the first vessel now scheduled four months behind the original timeline, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin told the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday.

According to the Lumut Naval Shipyard (Lunas), overall progress on the LCS project has reached 75.75%, short of the planned 81.57%. The first ship, LCS Ship 1, is only 82.90% complete, compared with the scheduled 96.52%, the minister said.

“The progress covers the ship’s structure, installation of major equipment, and systems integration. Although delays have occurred, LCS Ship 1 has been successfully launched and is currently undergoing installation and integration of its main systems,” Khaled said.

Sea trials for LCS Ship 1 began at the shipyard on Jan 20, followed by the first sea-going trial on Wednesday. The trials involve testing machinery, power systems, air-conditioning systems, and the propulsion system to ensure the vessel can safely navigate at sea. Full sea trials are expected to begin in early April.

The commissioning of LCS Ship 1 has been rescheduled to December, four months later than initially planned. LCS Ship 2 is now slated for August next year, LCS Ship 3 remains on track for December 2027, LCS Ship 4 in August 2028, and LCS Ship 5 in April 2029.

Khaled noted that RM8.3 billion of the total RM11.2 billion contract has been spent so far. He added that multiple monitoring platforms, including a project management review, a project monitoring committee, and a technical committee with the full involvement of the Royal Malaysian Navy and Lunas, have been established to ensure transparency and oversight.

The minister’s update came in response to a question from Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (PN-Tanah Merah) regarding the status of LCS Ship 1, KD Maharajalela, and whether it could be commissioned as scheduled in August.

Under the multibillion-ringgit project signed in 2014, six LCS ships were initially planned for staged delivery beginning in 2019, but none have been completed on time. Delays have pushed the total project cost from RM9.128 billion to RM11.22 billion.