11 November 2020
As per previous post in this blog, the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) has issued a tender for three Multi Purpose Boats (MPB) to be used for coastal patrols against intrusion of illegal immigrants from the Philippines and Indonesia along the Eastern waters of Sabah.
The anti illegal immigrant operation, known as Ops Benteng is aimed to prevent the outbreak of coronavirus into local population. Sabah is the worst affected state in Malaysia with hundreds of people mostly illegal immigrants were dead after being infected by the virus that originated from Wuhan, China.
The three MPBs were built by a local Sabah an shipyard, Sandakan Jaya Teknik Sdn Bhd. The first of the boats has been delivered recently to the Navy.
Sandakan Jaya Teknik has been supplying the Malaysian Army’s Combat Boat Company (Kompeni Bot Tempur) at Kukusan Camp in Kudat with Damen 165 design boats known as the Rover boat since 2000 following the intrusion of Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) militants – then funded by the Al-Qaeda – into Malaysia’s Sipadan and Pandanan Islands off Semporna.
It is interesting to note here that the MPB seems bear similar design with the former Rover boats serving the Army.
These Rover boats have since being replaced by Stingray and Barracuda boats operated by Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) Joint Task Force 2 Command (Markas Angkatan Tugas Bersama 2 – ATB 2) Combat Boat Squadron in Kudat) and Sandakan.
The shipyard has also maintained the Navy’s CB-90 combat boats as seen in February 2018 (pennant number: 213), February 2019 (pennant number: 217) and September 2020 (pennant number: 205).
(MFH)